Robert Kabera, a former Sergeant Major in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and a well-known singer in the army’s music group, has been killed in Uganda, where he had been living as a refugee, according to his wife, Jeanne D’arc Rwigema Uwizeye, and one of his friends.
His wife told the BBC that she suspects Robert Kabera was killed on Saturday, 17 October 2026, by people who found him at a house construction site in Kammengo, about 45 kilometres southwest of Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Video footage provided to BBC Gahuzamiryango shows the body of a beheaded person, reportedly Sergeant Robert’s, alongside health workers wearing uniforms bearing Ugandan flags and police officers dressed in Uganda Police Force uniforms.
The BBC says it has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the footage or confirm whether it depicts what happened to Sergeant Robert.
BBC Gahuzamiryango attempted to contact the Uganda Police spokesperson, but had not received a response by the time of publication.
However, a document obtained by BBC Gahuzamiryango indicates that Mulago National Referral Hospital, located in Kampala, was asked by the police to conduct an examination of Sergeant Robert’s body to establish the cause of death.
The document states that his body “was found in a eucalyptus thicket, without a head,” according to the BBC, which reported the story.
Another document, which BBC Gahuzamiryango has been unable to independently verify, identifies the suspected individuals involved in the killing as “Innocent and others.”
His wife said he leaves behind their three children. She said: “It is terrifying. I feel like I am going crazy because my children and I are not safe.”
Kabera had gained considerable attention through discussions he posted on his YouTube channel, where he frequently criticised Rwanda. It remains unclear whether his death is connected to the content of those discussions. The Rwandan government had not issued an official statement regarding his death by the time this report was published.
News of the death of Sergeant Robert, as he was widely known in Rwanda and beyond, began circulating on social media platforms and YouTube channels on Saturday evening.
Sergeant Robert was widely known for songs he performed solo or in collaboration with other singers in the Rwanda Defence Force’s music group, known as the Army Jazz Band.
He fled Rwanda in 2020. At the time, the Rwandan military had launched an investigation into allegations that he had raped a member of his family. The military said he was being sought to face justice.
However, in an interview he gave in Uganda, he said the allegations against him were false and intended to tarnish his reputation. He explained that he had arrived in Uganda two days before the date on which he was alleged to have committed the offence.
BWIZA has been unable to independently verify the information contained in this report.