Ugandan Police Search for Missing Head of Rwandan Dissident

Ugandan authorities are investigating the killing of Robert Kabera, a 50-year-old former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, after residents discovered his headless body outside Kampala over the weekend. His family is demanding that police recover his missing head and identify those responsible, while investigators say they have not identified any suspects.

Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed that Kabera's head had not been recovered. At a police press conference on Monday, Rusoke said investigators had no suspects in the case.

"Whether we have any suspects? No, we don’t have. Because if we had any suspects, I would have mentioned it here," Rusoke said.

According to ChimpReports, Kabera's relatives have urged police to locate the missing remains and pursue those responsible for the killing. One family member, speaking anonymously, said the investigation should establish what happened to Kabera and lead to arrests.

"Police needs to help us resolve this murder by looking for our brother’s head and arresting the culprits," the family member said.

Another relative questioned the motive for removing Kabera's head. A separate family member also called for investigators to examine whether more than one person was involved.

"What was the interest in taking his head?" the relative asked.

One relative urged police to investigate beyond a boda boda rider known as Innocent, who reportedly accompanied Kabera from Kampala to his home in Luwala on October 16. The relative said the rider's possible involvement had not established whether others participated in the killing.

"The rider could not have acted alone," the relative said.

According to the family's account, Kabera arrived at his home at about 7 p.m. on October 16, greeted his brother, Victor Agaba, and left with the rider for a nearby bar. He later returned to collect his phone before leaving again.

When Agaba could not find him the following morning, he checked the house with Kabera's son and visited the bar. At about 2 p.m., a village defense secretary reported that an unidentified headless body had been discovered. Agaba identified his brother through a scar on his right thumb and shoes found nearby.

Kabera had sought asylum in Uganda after leaving Rwanda, where he faced sexual assault allegations that he denied. He had cited political persecution and developed a public following as a musician and YouTuber, attracting more than 144,000 subscribers to a channel containing over 800 videos, many criticizing Kagame and his administration.

His widow, Jeanne d'Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that the killing had left her fearful for her family.

"It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don't have security," she said.

The family also faces questions about earlier threats against Kabera. In October 2023, local leaders in Sserwanga Village, within Kampala's Lubaga Division, wrote to Old Kampala Police Station after three men allegedly attacked him on Rubaga Road and fled in a black car without license plates.

The letter quoted the attackers as threatening Kabera if he fled abroad.

"Even if you run to America, we will find you and kill you," the letter quoted the attackers as saying.

The local leaders asked police to investigate and help protect Kabera. However, authorities have not established a connection between those reported threats and his killing.

The Rwanda National Congress (RNC), an exiled opposition group, called for a thorough investigation and accountability. In a statement on X, the group highlighted the wider security concerns facing Rwandans living outside their country.

"Today, his family is grieving, his voice is gone, and Rwandans in exile are confronting a terrifying question: where can we be safe?" the RNC said.

Kabera's death follows the 2014 killing of Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief and RNC co-founder, who was found dead in a hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa. Karegeya had fallen out with Kagame, served an 18-month prison sentence for insubordination and desertion, and fled to South Africa in 2007.

After Karegeya's death, Kagame made remarks widely interpreted as a warning to critics of his government.

"Any person alive who may be plotting against Rwanda, whoever they are, will pay the price. Whoever it is, it is a matter of time," Kagame said.

South African authorities issued arrest warrants in 2019 for two Rwandans accused of murdering Karegeya. The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on Kabera's killing, and Ugandan investigators have not announced any suspects.