Two former Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel members who later worked as state informers have been sentenced to death for murdering two women in two separate staged bomb incidents linked to the 2025 Martyrs Day celebrations.
The General Court Martial in Makindye handed the death sentence to Hamza Lyavaala and Adil Walusansa on Wednesday, ruling that the murders were premeditated and involved the deliberate exploitation of vulnerable women.
The court, presided over by Brig Richard Tukacungurwa, found that the two had participated in a carefully planned operation in which the victims were recruited, transported from Busoga and given explosive devices to carry out purported suicide missions. In his sentencing remarks, Tukacungurwa said the offences demonstrated extreme cruelty and posed a permanent threat to society.
The court heard that about three weeks before the Martyrs Day celebrations on June 3, Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga convened a meeting at Gowers Gardens in Namulanda, where the operation was discussed.
Prosecution evidence indicated that Byaruhanga subsequently gave Lyavaala money to secure a woman who would be used in the planned operation at Munyonyo. He reportedly undertook to brief Maj Gen Richard Otto and inform Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT) operatives, who were allegedly made to believe the mission was genuine.
The first victim, Byaruhanga Sumayiya, was transported from Busoga, accommodated in a rented house, and later given an explosive device to carry to Munyonyo. She died on June 3, 2025, when the device strapped to her body exploded at Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine during the annual celebrations.
The second victim, Sawiya Azuta, was also recruited and allegedly given what she believed were explosives for another operation. She was intercepted by JATT operatives at Kalerwe on June 21, 2025, and subsequently shot dead during the incident.
Tukacungurwa said the crimes had caused immense suffering to the victims and the boda-boda riders who transported them, while the incidents had thrown the public into panic and fear.
He observed that the murders were not spontaneous but involved deliberate planning, including the recruitment and transportation of the women, securing accommodation and providing them with explosive devices.
The prosecution had asked for the maximum sentence, arguing that the gravity of the offences, the vulnerability of the victims and the circumstances surrounding their deaths warranted capital punishment. However, defence lawyers Frank Kanduho and Maj Simon Busagwa asked the court to impose a lesser sentence, citing the convicts’ decision to plead guilty, their remorse and their previous involvement in counter-terrorism operations.
The lawyers also presented their family circumstances in mitigation, telling the court that Lyavaala has six children and four wives, while Walusansa has seven children and three wives.
In his response, Tukacungurwa acknowledged that the guilty pleas had saved judicial time and resources and considered their previous counter-terrorism roles as mitigating factors. However, he said sentencing was not solely intended to rehabilitate offenders but also to serve justice and protect society.
The court further considered Lyavaala’s criminal background, including evidence that he was recruited into the ADF in 2014 and arrested again in 2022 over alleged involvement in the group’s activities. Prosecutors did not present any known previous criminal record against Walusansa. The chairperson ruled that the aggravating circumstances outweighed the mitigating factors, particularly the deliberate planning of the murders and the exploitation of vulnerable women.
He sentenced both men to death and informed them of their right to appeal. Lyavaala and Walusansa were jointly charged with Lt Col Byaruhanga on July 6, 2026, with two counts of murder. All three initially denied the charges. Last month, however, the two informed the court through their lawyers that they wished to change their pleas. After explaining the consequences, the court established that they had voluntarily admitted the charges and convicted them.
On October 12, 2026, they sought to withdraw their guilty pleas, saying they wanted to testify against Byaruhanga and explain how they had allegedly attempted to save the victims. They later reconsidered and maintained their guilty pleas, paving the way for sentencing. Byaruhanga, a former commander of special operations in the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, remains a co-accused in the case and will face trial separately.