Uganda Police confirms murder by beheading of Rwandan dissident Sergeant Major Robert Kabera in Mpigi

Uganda Police has confirmed the murder of Rwandan dissident Sergeant Major Robert Kabera, whose headless body residents discovered in Luwala village, Kamengo sub-county, Mpigi district.

Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said relatives identified the deceased as Kabera, about 50, although investigators would conduct scientific tests to confirm his identity.

“Up to now the head has not been recovered. We recovered the body without the head. The killers went with the head,”  he said.

Officers transferred the remains to Mulago City Mortuary for examination.

While the police received the report on Saturday, October 17, 2026, investigators believe the killing may have occurred on October 16 or on the morning of October 17.

Residents discovered the remains and alerted police. Relatives had also grown concerned after failing to hear from Kabera, who usually maintained regular contact.

“We are investigating that murder and any other details that are relevant either to the murder or other circumstances surrounding his life,” police said.

Kabera was a former Rwanda Defence Forces soldier, military instructor and musician, popularly known as “Sergeant Robert”.

He fled to Uganda on November 19, 2020, claiming persecution and threats to his life. In an interview with Daily Monitor shortly after his arrival, he linked his troubles partly to his relationship with the family of Fred Rwigema, the first commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front. 

Before going into exile, Kabera performed with Rwanda’s military band. A 2009 profile in The New Times described him as a widely recognised musician whose breakthrough came with the 1997 song Wezo Tunao.

Human Rights Watch documented his security concerns in its October 2023 report on Rwanda’s treatment of critics abroad. 

It said Ugandan police had confirmed that Kabera received asylum on grounds of political persecution and additional police protection.

The organisation also recorded his allegations of an assault and threats in Uganda in 2022. 

Rwandan military prosecutors had announced a defilement investigation against Kabera in November 2020. Human Rights Watch noted that the alleged offence date fell after the date he said he had left Rwanda. 

Following his death, the opposition Rwanda National Congress appealed for justice and stronger protection for Rwandan exiles in Uganda. It clarified that Kabera was not a member of the organisation.

The police account did not identify the killers or establish a motive. Investigators have not announced a connection between the murder and Kabera’s political activities.