In Summary: The General Court Martial has sentenced former security informers Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa to death after convicting them on their own guilty pleas over two staged bomb operations in June 2025 that resulted in the deaths of two women and a boda boda rider.
Kampala, Uganda — The General Court Martial in Makindye has sentenced two former security informers, Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa, to death for their roles in staged bomb operations in Munyonyo and Kalerwe in June 2025, which resulted in the deaths of two women and a boda boda rider.
The sentences were delivered on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, by a military court chaired by Brig. Richard Tukacungurwa, after the two men were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to murder.
The Munyonyo explosion occurred on June 3, 2025, during preparations for Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations, while the Kalerwe incident followed on June 21, 2025. The prosecution’s case was that the operations were staged to make security agencies believe they were confronting genuine terrorist threats.
The court found that the operations were deliberately planned and executed, with the convicts exploiting vulnerable women by recruiting them into purported suicide bombing missions without regard for their lives.
In his sentencing remarks, Tukacungurwa said the two men had directly participated in delivering explosive devices to the victims and had willingly taken part in a second operation after the first ended in a fatal explosion.
“The two convicts intentionally delivered the bombs to the two victims. They directly participated in the fake suicide missions and, after the first one, willingly accepted to participate in the second one at Kalerwe Market. The death sentence is therefore justified,” Tukacungurwa ruled.
He said the gravity of the offences and the danger posed by the convicts to society outweighed the mitigating circumstances presented by their lawyers. “The purpose of sentencing is not only rehabilitation but also must meet the ends of justice,” Tukacungurwa said before imposing the death penalty on both men.
The prosecution had asked the court to impose the maximum sentence, arguing that the murders were calculated, involved the exploitation of vulnerable individuals and were intended to create fear among the public.
However, defence lawyers Frank Kanduho and Maj. Simon Nsubuga Busagwa asked the court for leniency, citing the convicts’ guilty pleas, previous involvement in counter-terrorism operations and cooperation with court proceedings.
The lawyers also presented their family responsibilities as mitigating factors, telling the court that Lyavaala had four wives and six children, while Walusansa had three wives and seven children.
The court acknowledged that the guilty pleas had saved judicial time and resources and considered their previous counter-terrorism work. However, Tukacungurwa ruled that these factors could not outweigh the seriousness of the crimes.
The court also considered Lyavaala’s history with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), including his recruitment into the rebel group in 2014 and subsequent arrest in 2022 over alleged involvement in its activities. Walusansa, on the other hand, had no known previous criminal record presented before the court.
The two were convicted after admitting to participating in the operations that led to the deaths of Sumayiya Byaruhanga and Azatu Sawiya.
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