Tom Byabagamba dies in Prison at 59

Colonel Tom Byabagamba, a former commander of the Republican Guard (RG), unit responsible for protecting Rwandan President Paul Kagame and other top officials has died while in prison at the age of 59, his family has announced.

Byabagamba’s family member confirmed the death in a statement posted on social media on Tuesday, August 25, 2026.

The family has not disclosed the cause or circumstances of his death.

Rwandan prison and defence authorities had not publicly confirmed the death or provided an explanation by the time of publication.

Byabagamba was a veteran of the Rwanda Patriotic Front’s armed struggle that began in October 1990 and ended with the RPF taking power in 1994.

He joined Kagame’s personal protection detail during the war and later rose through the ranks of the post-genocide military.

Reports indicate that he held the position during the 2000s before later serving in a United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Byabagamba was arrested on August 24, 2014, alongside his brother-in-law, retired Brigadier General Frank Rusagara.

He was subsequently prosecuted by a military court over allegations including inciting insurrection, tarnishing the image of the government and contempt of the national flag.

In March 2016, Rwanda’s Military High Court sentenced Byabagamba to 21 years in prison and stripped him of his military rank. 

He consistently denied the allegations and maintained that the charges were unfounded.

The Court of Appeal later upheld his convictions but reduced his sentence to 15 years in December 2019.

Rwanda’s defence authorities subsequently announced additional allegations relating to activities allegedly committed while he was in detention.

In 2020, Byabagamba also faced a separate case over allegations of stealing a mobile phone while in prison.

He denied the accusation, describing it as implausible.

His death comes about 17 months after that of Frank Rusagara, who died in prison in March 2025 while serving a sentence stemming from the same case. 

Rusagara, a former brigadier general, had also denied the allegations against him.

Byabagamba had spent nearly 12 years in detention. (BBC)