Two men who worked as state informers have been sentenced to death by the General Court Martial in Makindye for their involvement in two fake suicide bomb operations that killed two women in Kampala in June 2025.
Hamza Lyavaala and Adiil Walusansa were handed the death sentence on Wednesday after being found responsible for the murders of Sumaya Byaruhanga and Azatu Sawiya in separate incidents in Munyonyo and Kalerwe.
Delivering the sentence, court chairman Brig Richard Tukacungurwa said the two had willingly participated in both operations and deserved the harshest punishment to discourage similar crimes.
The court noted that the accused had taken part in the first operation in Munyonyo before agreeing to participate in a second one at Kalerwe.
“Hamza Lyavaala and Adiil Walusansa directly participated in the fake suicide missions and after the first one, they devoutly accepted to participate in the second one at Kalerwe Market. The death sentence is therefore justified,” Brig Tukacungurwa said.
He subsequently sentenced both men to death on the two counts of murder.
According to the prosecution, led by Lt Regina Nanzala, Lyavaala and Walusansa were initially working as state informers, providing security agencies with intelligence about the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
However, investigations established that they became involved in operations that resulted in the deaths of two women.
The first incident happened on 3 June 2025, when Sumaya Byaruhanga died in an explosion near Kagwa Bridge, close to Munyonyo Catholic Shrine, during the Martyrs Day period. The second occurred on 21 June 2025, when Azatu Sawiya was shot dead at Kalerwe Market while carrying an explosive device.
The prosecution linked the operations to Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, a former commander of special operations in the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), who was jointly charged with the two men but has denied the allegations.
Lyavaala and Walusansa pleaded guilty and were subsequently used as prosecution witnesses against the former military officer.
Court heard that about three weeks before the first explosion, Byaruhanga met the two men at Gowers Hotel in Namulanda along Entebbe Road.
At the time, he reportedly had disagreements with his superiors, then Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security Brig Gen Abdul Rugumayo and Chief of Defence Intelligence and Security Maj Gen Richard Otto.
The prosecution alleged that Byaruhanga wanted to organise attacks that would attract the attention of his superiors and make them believe the intelligence he was providing.
He allegedly briefed Lyavaala and Walusansa about the planned suicide mission, with Lyavaala tasked with finding a woman to carry it out. Walusansa was given money to rent a house in Kinawa, Nateete, where the group stayed as they prepared for the operation.
Lyavaala was also given money to travel to Busoga in search of a woman. He contacted a man identified as Kassim, who reportedly brought Sumaya.
The prosecution further linked the group to Anthony Ssekalaala, who allegedly manufactured the explosive devices with Byaruhanga’s knowledge.
The first operation was planned for 3 June 2025, during the Martyrs Day celebrations.
According to the prosecution, Byaruhanga drove Lyavaala and Walusansa to Munyonyo, telling them that he had alerted officers from the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT) about the planned attack.
The officers reportedly believed the intelligence was genuine and were expected to respond to the suspected threat.
Sumaya later left the rented house carrying an explosive device and headed to an agreed location near Kagwa Bridge, close to Munyonyo Catholic Shrine.
The device exploded, killing her. Byaruhanga subsequently invited police officers to the scene, where they took over investigations.
About a week later, Byaruhanga allegedly contacted Lyavaala and Walusansa again and asked them to find another woman for a second operation.
Kassim reportedly brought Azatu Sawiya, who was taken around Kalerwe to identify the target area.
On 21 June 2025, Lyavaala allegedly had two explosive devices, one of which he gave to Sawiya and the other to Kassim.
The prosecution said Sawiya was instructed to travel towards Busega before changing motorcycles, while the accused and JATT officers waited for her to reach the targeted area.
When she arrived in Busega, Lyavaala reportedly alerted JATT officers, who followed her to Kalerwe.
She was shot dead upon reaching Kalerwe Market. The explosive device she was carrying was later detonated before police took control of the scene.
Prosecutors told court that investigations showed the operations were intended to create fear among the public and destabilise the country.
