A former Rwandan soldier who fled to Uganda over fears for his safety has been found beheaded in Mpigi District.
Robert Kabera, 50, popularly known as Sergeant Robert, was discovered dead on Saturday, October 17, at a eucalyptus plantation in Luwala Village, Kamengo Sub-county, where he had been constructing a house.
Kabera previously served as an instructor and soloist with the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) Army Jazz Band before leaving Rwanda for Uganda in November 2020, saying he feared for his life.
According to accounts given to investigators by his family, Kabera travelled from Kampala to Luwala at about 7pm on October 16, accompanied by his regular boda boda rider, identified as Innocent. He later went to a bar in Luwala trading centre.
His brother, Victor Agaba, became concerned when Kabera failed to return home or appear the following morning. Agaba reportedly searched for him at his residence and the bar, where an attendant said he had last been seen the previous night.
The search took a grim turn at about 2pm when the village defence secretary informed Agaba that an unidentified headless body had been discovered. Agaba reportedly identified his brother through a scar on his right thumb and shoes found near the scene.
Police officers who visited the scene found the body lying in a pool of blood. Officers from Kamengo, assisted by detectives from Kampala, reportedly recovered a large stick suspected to have been used in the attack, two beer bottles and shoes.
The circumstances surrounding Kabera’s killing remained unclear, with police yet to issue an official statement detailing the incident by the time of publication.
His death comes against the background of earlier appeals for protection that Kabera made after settling in Uganda. On September 11, 2021, he wrote to local authorities alleging that accusations circulating against him in Rwandan media were politically motivated and expressing fears for his life. Local leaders subsequently forwarded his appeal to police and refugee protection agencies.
A further incident was reported in October 2023, when the chairperson of Sserwanga Village in Mengo Parish, Kampala Central Division, wrote to Old Kampala Police Station introducing Kabera as a resident and reporting that he had been attacked by three men along Rubaga Road.
The letter, which was stamped as received by Kampala Capital City Authority’s Central Division on October 23, 2023, stated that the attackers fled in a black car without number plates after Kabera shouted for help.
According to the account contained in the letter, the men threatened him, saying, “Even if you run to America, we will find you and kill you.”
Kabera’s departure from Rwanda followed allegations by the RDF’s Military Prosecution Department that he had sexually assaulted a teenage family member in Ndera, Gasabo District. He denied the allegations and described them as politically motivated. The allegations should not be treated as established facts.
In May 2022, Ugandan security forces arrested Kabera at his residence over alleged unlawful possession of a firearm. He was detained at the Special Investigations Division in Kireka before being released on police bond.
While living in Uganda, Kabera also used social media to criticise the Rwandan government. It was not immediately clear whether his past complaints, the earlier reported attack or his public criticism had any connection to his killing.
Investigators will need to establish the circumstances of the attack, identify those responsible and determine the motive behind the killing.
