Robert Kabera, 50, a former Rwandan army officer who became a vocal critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda.
Ugandan police say Kabera was found killed on Saturday, October 17, in the Kamengo area of Mpigi District, outside Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Although the motive for the killing is yet to be established, police said residents discovered his body in a bush.
Superintendent of Police Lydia Tumushabe told the Associated Press on Monday that Kabera’s remains had been identified by residents and his brother.
“The head, up to now, is still missing,” she said.
Kabera served in the Rwandan army before leaving the country in 2020. After leaving, he became a vocal critic of Kagame and ran a YouTube channel called Major Robert TV. The channel had over 140,000 followers and featured hundreds of videos, many of which criticised the Rwandan government.
Kabera said he left Rwanda because he was afraid of being persecuted. The Rwandan military had accused him of unlawful sexual contact with a family member, but he denied the allegation.
Kabera’s death has renewed worries about the safety of Rwandan government critics who live in exile. So far, Ugandan police have not found any connection between his political activities and his killing.
His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she was afraid for her own safety and for their children.
“It is scary. I feel crazy. The children and I don’t have security,” she said.
His family said Kabera had gone to check on a construction site about 45 kilometres outside Kampala before he died.
As of Monday, the Rwandan government had not made any public comment about the killing.
Kabera’s death also brings to mind the 2014 killing of Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief who helped start the opposition Rwanda National Congress. Karegeya was found dead in a hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa, after he had a falling out with Kagame and went into exile.
Ugandan police said investigations into Kabera’s killing were ongoing.