The General Court Martial in Makindye, Uganda, has convicted two former security informers, Hamza Lyavaala and Walusansa Adiil, after they pleaded guilty to two counts of murder arising from bomb incidents at Munyonyo and Kalerwe in June 2025. The court, chaired by Brig Richard Tukacungurwa, heard that Lyavaala and Walusansa were working as state informers on activities of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) at the time of the incidents.
According to the prosecution, led by Lt Regina Nanzala, Lyavaala and Walusansa were involved in facilitating the operations that resulted in the deaths of two people – Sumaya Byaruhanga at Munyonyo on June 3, 2025, and Azatu Sawiya at Kalerwe Market on June 21, 2025. The two are jointly charged with Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, who has maintained his innocence and is due to stand trial next week over the same charges.
The prosecution presented brief facts detailing how the crimes were committed, which Lyavaala and Walusansa admitted to in court. The facts state that Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, who was allegedly dissatisfied with his superiors, convened a meeting at Goers Hotel in Namulanda along Entebbe Road about three weeks before Martyrs Day on June 3, 2025. Byaruhanga met Lyavaala and Walusansa and briefed them about a suicide mission that was being planned.
The prosecution said Byaruhanga gave Walusansa money to rent a house in Kinawa in Natete, Kampala, and gave Lyavaala money to travel to Busoga to find a woman for the mission. Lyavaala contacted a person identified as Kassim, who brought Sumaya to him. Lyavaala was then instructed to link up with Walusansa, who knew the location of the rented house, and Anthony Sekalala, whom the prosecution said had made the bombs for the mission with Byaruhanga’s knowledge.
On June 3, 2025, Byaruhanga drove Lyavaala and Walusansa to Munyonyo and informed them that he had requested officers from the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT) to counter the operation. Sumaya subsequently left the rented house carrying a bomb and was killed when it exploded near Kagwa Bridge, close to Munyonyo Catholic Shrine. About a week later, Byaruhanga again contacted Lyavaala and Walusansa and asked them to contact Kassim for another suicide bomber.
The second operation took place on June 21, 2025, at Kalerwe Market, where Azatu Sawiya was killed. The prosecution said Lyavaala was in possession of two bombs with the knowledge of Byaruhanga and was instructed to give one to Sawiya and the other to Kassim. Lyavaala instructed Sawiya that upon reaching Busega, she would board another motorcycle, and JATT officers followed her to the scene.
Lyavaala and Walusansa were later arrested and arraigned before the General Court Martial, where they were charged with two counts of murder under sections 171 and 172 of the Penal Code Act. The prosecution has asked the court to impose the death penalty, while the defence has asked for leniency, citing that the convicts are family men capable of reforming. The court has set October 12, 2026, for the sentencing of Lyavaala and Walusansa.
Key points
- Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga organised the operations, recruiting Lyavaala and Walusansa, arranging for a woman to be brought from Busoga, and facilitating the acquisition and use of explosives.
- The bomb incidents occurred on June 3, 2025, at Munyonyo and June 21, 2025, at Kalerwe Market, resulting in the deaths of two people.
- The convictions and facts admitted in court have introduced a new dimension into the wider security case involving Major General James Birungi, who was arrested in August 2025 on several charges.
