Two state spies plead guilty to staging deadly Munyonyo, Kalerwe bombs

What the report says

The Observer reports that Uganda’s General Court Martial in Makindye has convicted two former security informers, Hamza Lyavaala and Walusansa Adiil, after they pleaded guilty to murder charges linked to bomb attacks in Munyonyo and Kalerwe in June 2025. The court, chaired by Brig. Richard Tukacungurwa, accepted prosecution facts describing how the pair allegedly helped arrange and carry out the operations.

According to the account presented in court, the two men were serving as informers on Allied Democratic Forces-related activity at the time, but prosecutors said they instead facilitated the incidents that killed Sumaya Byaruhanga near Munyonyo Catholic Shrine on June 3 and Azatu Sawiya at Kalerwe Market on June 21. The newspaper said both women were allegedly drawn into the missions, while Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga is charged alongside the pair and has denied the accusations.

The prosecution’s version, as summarized by The Observer, links the case to a wider security controversy and says the operations were planned using rented houses, motorcycles and explosive devices. Court records cited in the report say the accused confirmed the facts and asked for leniency through their lawyer, while prosecutors urged the court to impose the death penalty.

The sentencing of Lyavaala and Walusansa is set for October 12, 2026, the same date fixed for further proceedings in the separate case involving Major Gen. James Birungi. The article notes that Birungi has faced public speculation over possible links to the bombings, but the facts read in court pointed instead to Byaruhanga as the officer alleged to have organized them.