Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has suggested that the murder of Rwandan dissident Sergeant Major Robert Kabera could be linked to the arrest of former Ugandan military intelligence chief Major General Abel Kandiho. Muhoozi has expressed suspicion that elements within a Rwandan opposition movement may have been involved, although he has not provided evidence to support the theory.
In a post on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Muhoozi pointed to possible involvement by elements of the Rwanda National Congress (RNC), an opposition movement associated with exiled former Rwandan army chief Kayumba Nyamwasa. “I highly suspect that certain elements of Kayumba’s RNC were responsible. Are they retaliating for Kandiho’s arrest? We shall get to the truth,” he wrote.
Kabera’s death shocked residents after his headless body was discovered on October 17 in Luwala village, Kamengo sub-county, Mpigi District. Police said relatives had identified the deceased, who was about 50 years old, but indicated that scientific examinations would be needed to confirm his identity. The circumstances surrounding the killing have raised serious questions about the motive and those responsible.
Kabera was a former Rwanda Defence Forces soldier who fled Rwanda in November 2020, reportedly citing persecution. He was also known as a military instructor and musician under the name “Sergeant Robert.” Human Rights Watch documented concerns about his security and reported that Ugandan police had confirmed he was granted asylum on grounds of political persecution.
Muhoozi’s comments have introduced a possible motive that had not been established in the police account of the killing. He also said his office had not been informed about Kabera, leaving questions about the circumstances surrounding the former Rwandan soldier’s presence in Uganda and the handling of the case.
Kandiho, who previously headed Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, was arrested on September 9 alongside retired Brigadier General Charles Bakahumura, weeks after the two officers left the army. Media reports linked their detention to investigations involving alleged false intelligence reports and security-related offences. However, Muhoozi’s post did not provide details establishing how Kandiho’s arrest might be connected to Kabera’s murder.
The RNC was founded in 2010 by former senior Rwandan officials, including Nyamwasa, and operates as an opposition movement in exile against President Paul Kagame’s government. United Nations experts have documented links between the RNC and an associated armed movement known as P5 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Nyamwasa has acknowledged his role in the RNC but denied leading the military group identified by the experts. The RNC had also issued a statement appealing to President Yoweri Museveni to investigate Kabera’s death and improve protection for Rwandan exiles, while saying Kabera was not a member of the organisation.
Despite Muhoozi’s suspicion, no evidence presented in his post establishes that the RNC or any of its members were responsible for Kabera’s killing, or that the murder was retaliation for Kandiho’s arrest. Investigators will need to establish the facts surrounding the death, identify those responsible and determine the motive. The case has drawn attention to the security of Rwandan exiles in Uganda and the wider regional implications of the allegations.
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