Court sentences two fake bomb convicts to death
“I, therefore, sentence both of you to suffer death as authorised by law,” Tukacungurwa declared. The court said the convicts had premeditated and planned the murders, including transporting the victims from Busoga, arranging accommodation and providing them with explosives to carry out the operations.
Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa, who had become informers with the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (now known as Defence Intelligence and Security), were sentenced today (November 4, 2026), by the court chaired by Brig. Gen. Richard Tukacungurwa, after considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances surrounding the offences. (Credit: Barbra Kabahumuza)
KAMPALA - The General Court Martial has sentenced two former Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) recruits to death for their roles in two murder operations involving women used in bomb attacks in Kampala.
Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa, who had become informers with the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (now known as Defence Intelligence and Security), were sentenced today (November 4, 2026), by the court chaired by Brig. Gen. Richard Tukacungurwa, after considering the aggravating and mitigating circumstances surrounding the offences.
“I, therefore, sentence both of you to suffer death as authorised by law,” Tukacungurwa declared.
The court said the convicts had premeditated and planned the murders, including transporting the victims from Busoga, arranging accommodation and providing them with explosives to carry out the operations.
It observed that their actions demonstrated that they posed a permanent threat to society.
The court also considered the suffering caused to the victims and the bodaboda riders who transported them, as well as the panic created among members of the public by the bomb operations.
The defence further presented their family circumstances, informing the court that Lyavaala had six children and four wives, while Walusansa had seven children and three wives.
The prosecution team, led by Lt. Regina Nanzala, asked the court to impose the death penalty, arguing that the offences involved premeditated murders and the exploitation of vulnerable victims.
Prosecution also informed court that Lyavaala had previously been involved in ADF activities, including recruitment in 2014 and a subsequent arrest in 2022 over alleged involvement in the rebel group’s activities.
However, the state said it had no known criminal record for Walusansa.
In its decision, the court acknowledged that the two had voluntarily pleaded guilty, had previously played a role in counterterrorism efforts and had saved court time and resources.
The court considered the circumstances surrounding the death of Sumaya Byaruhanga, who died after an explosive device strapped to her body detonated at Munyonyo during the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations.
It also considered the subsequent operation involving Sawiya Azatu, who died at Kalerwe Market.
The court heard that the convicts had planned the operations and participated in transporting the women and facilitating the use of explosives.
It consequently found that the mitigating circumstances did not outweigh the aggravating circumstances surrounding the murders.
The court informed the convicts of their right to appeal against the sentence.
Lyavaala and Walusansa were jointly charged with Lt. Col. Ephraim Byaruhanga with two counts of murder arising from the Munyonyo and Kalerwe incidents in June 2025.
The two initially pleaded guilty to the charges, but later changed their plea to not guilty. However, they again later changed and pleaded guilty.