Uganda Informer Says Officer Staged 2 Kampala Bombings
UGANDA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Uganda is a landlocked East African country ruled by President Yoweri Museveni since 1986 and a long-standing US security partner.
- —What happened On Monday 12 October, a convicted informer told Uganda’s General Court Martial that an army officer planned two 2025 Kampala bombings.
- —The accused officer Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, a former special operations director in military intelligence and the witness’s handler, denies the charges.
- —The incidents A blast near Munyonyo shrine killed a woman and a rider on 3 June 2025; another woman was shot dead at Kalerwe Market on 21 June.
- —The pleas The witness, Hamza Lyavala, and informer Adiil Walusansa pleaded guilty to murder on 5 October, but on Monday both asked to withdraw their pleas.
- —Still open Byaruhanga’s trial resumes on Monday 26 October, and the court rules on the informers’ plea request on Thursday 29 October.
An informer told a Ugandan military court on Monday 12 October that an army officer staged two deadly Kampala bombings in 2025. The testimony, reported by the Kampala news site Nile Post, names Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga, who denies the charges.
For Americans, the case touches how a key US security partner describes its terrorist threat. The US State Department rates Uganda at Level 4, “Do not travel”, and warns that terrorists may target markets and places of worship.
What the Witness Told the Military Court
Hamza Lyavala, a 33-year-old teacher and former rebel, testified in Luganda, a widely spoken local language, before the General Court Martial in Makindye. The court is run by Uganda’s army, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and is chaired by Brig Richard Tukacungurwa.
Lyavala said Byaruhanga recruited him and a second informer, Adiil Walusansa, to plan and carry out the Kampala bombings. He said the officer wanted public attention to prove the value of his intelligence work after falling out with his superiors.
According to the witness, Byaruhanga complained that Maj Gen Richard Otto, then head of military intelligence, ignored his WhatsApp messages. “He would blue-tick it but not respond,” Lyavala told the court.
How the Two Kampala Bombings Unfolded
Lyavala said the first operation was timed for Uganda Martyrs Day on 3 June 2025, a holiday honouring Christians killed for their faith. The Catholic shrine at Munyonyo, in southern Kampala, honours some of those martyrs.
He said a woman named Sumaya rode a motorcycle taxi with a bomb while a counterterrorism unit, the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force, waited nearby. His own role, he said, was to point her out to the officers.
Sumaya died when the bomb she carried exploded near Kagwa Bridge, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported on 5 October. Lyavala said he suspected a courier had detonated it by phone.
Lyavala said a second operation followed at Kalerwe Market, a busy food market in northern Kampala, with a woman named Azatu. Prosecutors say security officers shot her dead there on 21 June 2025, after which her device was detonated.
Lyavala said he later learnt that Byaruhanga had ordered the killing. He quoted the officer as saying “terrorists deserve to be killed” when Walusansa asked why she had been shot.
How a Former Rebel Became a State Informer
The Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, is a rebel group founded in Uganda that now operates from eastern DR Congo. Lyavala said he left it after the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
He testified that Museveni pardoned him and his splinter group, and that he then spied on the ADF for military intelligence. His handlers included Maj Gen James Birungi and later Otto, with Byaruhanga as the last, he said.
Claims of Torture and a Jailed Spy Chief
Under cross-examination on Monday, Lyavala said he was tortured to make him implicate Birungi, Uganda’s former military intelligence chief, which he refused to do. He named Brig Gen Abdul Rugumayo, a former deputy intelligence chief, as the officer who tore up his first statement, Nile Post reported.
Birungi has been detained since August 2025 and faces treachery and security charges, which he denies, the Daily Monitor reported. His arrest followed an inquiry into claims that senior officers fabricated intelligence reports about terrorist threats to obtain operational funds.
Defence lawyer Frank Kanduho put it to Lyavala that he was money-minded. Lyavala admitted receiving 150 million Ugandan shillings (about US$37,200) for a house on Museveni’s orders, at about 4,027 shillings per dollar on 12 October.
He said he also received 100 million shillings (about US$24,800) for rehabilitation after renouncing terrorism. Asked about the people killed at Munyonyo, Lyavala said he did not know anyone would die.
He put the blame for the Kampala bombings on Byaruhanga, whom he described as his handler. “Mine was the job of an informant,” he told the court.
What It Means for US Readers
Uganda keeps troops in Somalia to fight Islamist militants and has long worked with Washington on security. Testimony that an intelligence officer staged Kampala bombings raises questions about the threat picture Uganda shares with partners.
The State Department advisory says terrorist groups have targeted religious venues in Uganda and may target markets. Munyonyo and Kalerwe, a shrine and a market, are exactly those kinds of places.
Travellers and companies with staff in Kampala can read the full advisory, issued on 4 June 2026. A Uganda explainer sets out the country’s wider politics and economy.
What Is Not Known
Byaruhanga denies the charges, and his own account of the Kampala bombings has yet to be heard in court. Lyavala’s claims remain allegations until the court weighs them against other evidence.
Sentencing of Lyavala and Walusansa was due on Monday, but both asked to withdraw their guilty pleas, Nile Post reported. The court chairman said he would rule on that request on Thursday 29 October, so no sentence has been passed.
It is also unknown whether senior officers knew of the Kampala bombings in advance. The allegations against Birungi are being heard separately, and no court has ruled on them.
More: Uganda news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Kampala bombings case?
Prosecutors at Uganda’s General Court Martial say two 2025 bomb incidents in Kampala were staged operations rather than genuine terrorist attacks. Two informers pleaded guilty to murder but have asked to withdraw their pleas, and army officer Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga denies the charges.
Who is Hamza Lyavala?
He is a former member of the ADF rebel group who says he became a state informer after a presidential pardon. He was convicted of murder on 5 October on his own guilty plea and on 12 October asked to withdraw that plea.
What happened at Munyonyo and Kalerwe?
On 3 June 2025 a blast near the Munyonyo Martyrs Shrine killed a woman carrying a bomb and her motorcycle rider. On 21 June 2025 security officers shot a second woman dead at Kalerwe Market, and her device was then detonated.
Is Uganda safe for American travellers?
The US State Department rates Uganda at Level 4, Do not travel, in an advisory issued on 4 June 2026. It warns that terrorists may target places of worship, malls and markets.
When does the Kampala bombings case return to court?
The General Court Martial adjourned Byaruhanga’s trial to Monday 26 October and will rule on the informers’ plea request on Thursday 29 October. Byaruhanga is presumed innocent until the court rules.
Sources: Nile Post, 12 October 2026; Nile Post, 12 October 2026; Nile Post, 12 October 2026; Daily Monitor, 12 October 2026; Daily Monitor, 5 October 2026; Daily Monitor, 5 October 2026; US Department of State, 4 June 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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