The General Court Martial in Makindye, Uganda, has convicted Hamza Lyavaala and Walusansa Adiil, two former security informers, for their involvement in the 2025 bombings at Munyonyo and Kalerwe. The court, presided over by Brigadier Richard Tukacungurwa, heard that the two men pleaded guilty to two counts of murder arising from the bomb incidents.
According to the prosecution, Lyavaala and Walusansa, who were working as state informers on activities of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) at the time, admitted to planning and executing 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 prosecution, led by Lieutenant Regina Nanzala, presented evidence that Lyavaala and Walusansa were involved in facilitating the operations, contrary to the intelligence they were passing to security agencies. The two men were jointly charged with Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga, who has maintained his innocence and is due to stand trial next week over the same charges.
The court heard that Lieutenant Colonel Byaruhanga, allegedly dissatisfied with his superiors, convened a meeting at Goers Hotel in Namulanda along Entebbe Road, where he briefed Lyavaala and Walusansa about a suicide mission that was being planned. Lyavaala promised to find a woman to execute the mission, and Byaruhanga gave Walusansa money to rent a house in Kinawa in Natete, Kampala.
The prosecution presented evidence that Lyavaala and Walusansa worked with Anthony Sekalala, who made the bombs for the mission with the knowledge of Lieutenant Colonel Byaruhanga. On June 3, 2025, Byaruhanga drove Lyavaala and Walusansa to Munyonyo, where the first bomb exploded, killing Sumaya Byaruhanga. A week later, Byaruhanga contacted Lyavaala and Walusansa to plan another operation, which resulted in the death of Azatu Sawiya at Kalerwe Market.
The two men 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. After pleading guilty, the prosecution asked the court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the deceased were innocent people who did not know what they were carrying and had been lured into the operations by the convicts.
The convictions have introduced a new dimension into the wider security case involving Major General James Birungi, who was arrested in August 2025 on several charges, including treachery and offences related to security. The facts presented in court identify Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga as the officer who allegedly organised the operations, recruited Lyavaala and Walusansa, and facilitated the acquisition and use of explosives.
Key points
- Two former security informers have been convicted for their roles in the 2025 Munyonyo and Kalerwe bombings that resulted in two deaths.
- The convictions have introduced a new dimension into the wider security case involving Major General James Birungi.
- Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga is accused of organising the operations and recruiting the two convicts.
