A woman using the name Keza Leila (@KezaLeila) on X has appealed to authorities, including the Rwanda National Police and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), alleging that lecturers at the University of Rwanda (UR), Huye Campus, are mistreating female students by demanding sexual favors and threatening to deny them marks if they refuse.
In her post on X, Keza Leila (BWIZA could not establish whether these are her actual names as recorded in official identification documents) says lecturers demanding sex in exchange for marks have become unbearable.
She wrote: “Hello Rwanda National Police and RIB? Lecturers at UR have become unbearable! They are threatening to deny us marks unless we sleep with them! Please help us! There is also a lot of corruption in the administration! This is too much!”
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) responded to Leila, saying it would follow up on the matter. It said: “Hello Keza, please share more details with us through DM so that we can follow up on the matter. Thank you.”
The University of Rwanda (UR) also responded, saying the threats should not intimidate female students and instead urged them to report the matter.
UR said: “Hello, our dear student Keza Leila. The UR management encourages you to stand firm and remain courageous so that nothing intimidates you. Those threats are empty. However, if they are real, please let us know how we can assist you confidentially. We also strongly condemn the corruption you have mentioned. Call 0787011339.”
Cases of sexual corruption, in which sex is demanded in exchange for marks, are not being reported for the first time at the University of Rwanda.
On November 25, 2025, the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda) published a report on sex-based corruption in higher learning institutions in Rwanda.
The report revealed that some students are asked to have sexual relations with lecturers in exchange for marks or permission to sit examinations. It also noted that some students pay money to pass their courses.
In August 2019, The New Times reported that the University of Rwanda Senate had raised concerns over lecturers who were allegedly asking students for sexual favours in exchange for better marks.
In 2016, the University of Rwanda's Gender Policy also indicated that gender-based violence and practices commonly referred to as sex for marks had previously been reported in different faculties and schools within the university.
The policy further noted that students might be reluctant to report such incidents due to embarrassment or the lack of safe and reliable reporting mechanisms.