Rwandan Critic Found Beheaded in Uganda

Robert Kabera, a 50-year-old former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, was found beheaded on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda. Ugandan police said Monday that his head had not yet been recovered. His death has prompted renewed concern about the safety of Rwandan opposition figures living abroad, though authorities have not established a motive in this case. Kabera had fled Rwanda after facing sexual assault allegations, which he denied, and later sought asylum in Uganda, saying he was politically persecuted. According to his family, he had travelled to inspect a construction site about 45 kilometres from Kampala before he died. Alongside his past military service, Kabera was a musician and YouTuber whose channel had more than 144,000 subscribers. He regularly posted videos criticizing Kagame’s government. Kabera’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, said she feared for the safety of her family. The opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC) called for a full investigation and said the killing had heightened fears among Rwandans living abroad. The article places the case in the context of earlier killings of Rwandan dissidents outside the country. It cites the 2014 death of former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya, who was found dead in a South African hotel after becoming an outspoken critic of the government. It also notes that several Rwandan dissidents have been killed abroad over the years, without asserting that those cases share a proven motive. Rwanda’s government had not publicly commented on Kabera’s death at the time of publication, and Ugandan police were continuing their investigation.

France 24 reports that Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan soldier who was living in Uganda and had become a vocal critic of the Rwandan government, was found decapitated near Kampala. The report identifies him as an exiled critic of President Paul Kagame and says his murder is being investigated in Uganda. It also notes that Rwandan authorities have previously been accused of assassinating opponents of Kagame, placing Kabera’s killing within a broader context of concerns about the safety of government critics abroad. The article does not provide details about when or how Kabera disappeared, who discovered his body, the progress or findings of the Ugandan investigation, or whether authorities have identified suspects. It likewise does not establish that the Rwandan government was responsible for his death; the allegation is presented as background, not as a finding in the case. The item is a short video report, presented by France 24 journalist Aurore Bayoud from Kigali, Rwanda, and dated October 20, 2026. Its available text offers only a brief account and does not include further statements from police, the Rwandan government, Kabera’s family, or other witnesses. The central reported facts are therefore Kabera’s identity and political background, the discovery of his decapitated body near Kampala, and the ongoing Ugandan investigation. The report’s framing highlights the danger faced by exiled critics while distinguishing accusations against Rwandan authorities from confirmed responsibility for this particular killing.

France 24’s “Eye on Africa” programme rundown highlights three stories. The lead item reports that Kenyan cult leader Paul Mackenzie was convicted of 191 murders, 190 of them involving children. The brief description does not provide further details about the trial, the victims, or the circumstances of the murders. The programme also reports that Robert Kabera, described as a former Rwandan soldier and outspoken critic of the Rwandan government, was found decapitated in Uganda. No additional information about the discovery or investigation is included in the supplied text. The final item takes a less sombre turn: it introduces a young Ivorian music lover who travels around the country seeking out old-school music and sounds in need of care. The supplied page identifies Georja Calvin-Smith and Hélène Daouphars in the byline area and gives the programme’s issue date as 20 October 2026. It is a short programme preview rather than a full report: its descriptions introduce the subjects but offer little context or detail beyond the basic claims. Overall, the rundown combines accounts of grave crimes and a killing with a cultural feature about music preservation, presenting them in a concise, factual broadcast-news style.