Robert Kabera, exiled Kagame critic, found beheaded in Uganda

Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan army sergeant major who became an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded on the outskirts of Uganda’s capital, Kampala. Local residents discovered the 50-year-old’s body over the weekend, BBC News reported.

Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said on Monday, 19 October, that Kabera’s head had not been recovered. The reporting does not identify who killed him or establish a motive. Rwanda’s government had made no public comment on the killing.

Kabera, also a popular YouTuber and singer, left Rwanda after facing a sexual-assault accusation, which he denied. He sought asylum in Uganda, saying he faced political persecution.

Family fears for its safety

Kabera’s family said he had travelled to inspect a construction site roughly 45 km outside Kampala before his death.

His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, expressed fear for herself and their children in a written message to the broadcaster’s Great Lakes service, saying they lacked security.

The opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC) demanded a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible. In a statement on X, the party said the killing had heightened fears among Rwandans living in exile.

Earlier killing forms a troubling backdrop

Kabera’s death follows other killings of Kagame’s critics inside Rwanda and overseas. That history provides context for concerns about exiles’ safety, but does not establish responsibility for this killing.

In 2014, Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief and co-founder of the RNC, was found dead in a Johannesburg hotel room. After falling out with Kagame, he had been arrested twice and served an 18-month prison sentence for insubordination and desertion. He fled to South Africa in 2007 and became a prominent government critic.

After Karegeya’s death, Kagame warned that anyone plotting against Rwanda would face consequences—remarks widely interpreted as a warning to other critics. In 2019, South African authorities issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of murdering Karegeya. Those accusations concern a separate case and do not establish any connection to Kabera’s death.