Uganda Court sentences two former ADF recruits to Dldeath over staged bomb attacks

A Ugandan military court has sentenced two former Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) recruits to death over their involvement in a staged bomb scheme that resulted in the deaths of two women and a motorcycle taxi rider in June 2025.

The Makindye General Court Martial, presided over by Brigadier Richard Tukacungurwa, sentenced Hamza Lyavaala and Adiil Walusansa on Wednesday after both pleaded guilty to the charges, according to Ugandan media outlet 360NewsUG.

The court found that the two men participated in a planned operation in which victims were recruited from the Busoga region, transported to Kampala and allegedly given explosive devices to carry out purported suicide attacks.

The case also involves Lieutenant Colonel Ephraim Byaruhanga, a former director of special operations in Uganda’s Directorate of Intelligence and Security, whom the two men accused of masterminding the operation. His case is separate from Wednesday’s sentencing.

Prosecutors told the court that Byaruhanga convened a meeting at Gowers Hotel in Namulanda about three weeks before the Martyrs’ Day celebrations, where he allegedly briefed the accused on a planned suicide mission.

He was also accused of facilitating the rental of a house in Kinaawa, Nateete, arranging transport for two women from Busoga and connecting them to Anthony Ssekalaala, who allegedly manufactured the improvised explosive devices.

According to the prosecution, Byaruhanga later drove Lyavaala and Walusansa to Munyonyo on Martyrs’ Day and told them he had coordinated with officers from the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce, who believed the operation was genuine.

Court evidence indicated that Sumaya Byaruhanga, who had been brought from Busoga by Lyavaala, died at the scene after detonating an explosive device at Munyonyo.

Prosecutors also presented evidence concerning a second incident on June 21, 2025, when another woman, Sawiya Azuta, was intercepted after Byaruhanga reportedly alerted security officers that she was carrying two bombs intended for detonation at Kalerwe Market.

The prosecution said investigations established that the operations were staged and intended to create fear among the public and the state.

Mustaqbal