Uganda’s General Court Martial in Makindye has sentenced two state informers to death for murder after they admitted involvement in staged suicide bombings that killed two people ahead of the 2025 Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations. Hamza Lyavala and Hamid Walusansa pleaded guilty to delivering explosives to the two victims used in the fake missions in Munyonyo and at Kalerwe Market.
The court, chaired by Brig. Richard Tukacungurwa, heard that the operations were planned before the June 3 celebrations. It described the offences as among the rarest of rare cases warranting the death penalty as a deterrent, noting that the men directly participated in both missions and willingly took part in the second after the first.
Tukacungurwa ruled that the two convicts intentionally handed over the bombs and were fully involved in the staged attacks, justifying the sentence for the two murder offences. Both men were sentenced to death on each count.
The court informed the convicts of their right to appeal against the sentences. The ruling closes a case that had raised serious questions about security operations in the run-up to the Martyrs Day events.
