The General Court Martial sitting at Makindye has sentenced two former military informers to death for their role in a chilling scheme involving staged bomb attacks that claimed the lives of two women in Munyonyo and Kalerwe.
Hamza Lyavaala and Adiil Walusansa were handed the death penalty on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, after being convicted on their own pleas of guilty to two counts of murder arising from the incidents in June 2025.
The sentence was delivered by the court chairman, Brig Richard Tukacungurwa, who described the offences as particularly grave and ruled that the convicts deserved the maximum punishment.
The two were accused of participating in operations allegedly designed to stage fake terrorist attacks, create public panic and give security agencies the impression that a genuine terrorist threat had been detected and neutralised.
Two women killed in staged operations
The case stems from two incidents that occurred in the run-up to the 2025 Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations.
The first victim, Sumayiya Byaruhanga, died on June 3, 2025, after an explosive device detonated near Munyonyo Catholic Shrine, where thousands of pilgrims had gathered for the annual Martyrs Day celebrations.
The second victim, identified as Azatu Sawiya, was killed on June 21, 2025, at Kalerwe Market after being allegedly drawn into another staged bomb operation.
According to prosecution evidence, the two women were recruited and used in the operations without their lives being protected.
In the Munyonyo incident, the prosecution said Sumayiya was brought from the Busoga sub-region, accommodated in a rented house and subsequently given an explosive device to carry towards the shrine.
In the second incident, Azatu was allegedly supplied with an explosive device and later tracked by operatives of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT), who shot her dead at Kalerwe.
The prosecution maintained that the operations were deliberately orchestrated to create the impression of successful counterterrorism interventions.
Senior military officer implicated
The two convicts were jointly charged with Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga, a former commander of special operations in the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI).
Prosecutors alleged that Byaruhanga organised the operations and involved Lyavaala and Walusansa in executing the plans.
According to evidence presented before the military court, Byaruhanga allegedly met the two former informers at Gowers Hotel in Namulanda, along Entebbe Road, approximately three weeks before the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations.
He allegedly briefed them about the planned operations, while arrangements were made to recruit women who would be presented as suicide bombers.
The prosecution further alleged that Byaruhanga coordinated with security operatives, including JATT personnel, who were made to believe they were responding to genuine terrorist threats.
Byaruhanga has denied the charges and is expected to face a separate trial.
Convicts had attempted to withdraw guilty pleas
The sentencing follows a dramatic turn of events in October when Lyavaala and Walusansa attempted to withdraw their guilty pleas after initially admitting responsibility for the murders.
The two had sought to reverse their pleas on October 12, 2026, but later changed their minds and informed the court that they wanted to maintain their admissions.
They explained that they had initially wanted to withdraw the pleas so they could testify against Byaruhanga in the hope of securing lighter sentences.
During earlier proceedings, Lyavaala also accused former deputy CMI commander Brigadier General Abdul Rugumayo of pressuring him to implicate former military intelligence chief General James Birungi in the alleged operations. These allegations have not been independently established.
Court rejects plea for leniency
During sentencing, the defence lawyers appealed for leniency, arguing that their clients had saved judicial time and resources by admitting the offences.
They also presented their family responsibilities as mitigating circumstances.
Lyavaala reportedly has four wives and six children, while Walusansa has three wives and seven children.
However, Brig Tukacungurwa ruled that the mitigating circumstances could not outweigh the seriousness of the crimes.
The court noted that the two had directly participated in the staged operations and willingly accepted to participate in the second mission after the first had resulted in a death.
The chairman said their actions demonstrated that they remained a threat to society and that a deterrent sentence was justified.
Both convicts were sentenced to death for the two murder offences. The court informed them of their right to appeal the sentences within 14 days.
The case has raised serious questions about the alleged manipulation of counterterrorism operations within Uganda’s military intelligence structures, particularly the use of civilians in operations presented to security agencies as genuine terrorist threats.
