President Kagame: I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk. For Gen Rusagara and Col Byabagamba: You must not fear death, defy him, and you will drive him into the enemy’s ranks

Do Military Ranks matter in the world of Kagame? Yesterday all Rwandans were not surprised to see the most senior RDF officers who not only fought alongside President Kagame during the liberation struggle but Col. Tom Byabagamba has been the protector of Kagame for so long.

The Kagame Military High Court, yesterday, sentenced Col Tom Byabagamba to 21 years in jail and stripped him off his military rank, while Gen.  Frank Rusagara was handed a 20-year jail sentence.

The third suspect, Francois Kabayiza, was sentenced to five years in prison after he was not guilty of illegal possession of firearms but convicted for a single charge of concealing objects which were used or meant to commit an offence.

As I have mentioned above this didn’t come as a surprise to many who know how Kagame humiliates and demonizes whoever challenges his authority.  Indeed, Col.  Tom and Gen. Frank will go in the history of the likes of Col. Rugigana Ngabo the brother of Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, or the families of the former Kagame comrades like Col. Steven Dungute, or even the families of the RPF first commanders like Chris Bunyenyezi, Peter Bayingana and Gen. Fred Rwigyema.

You can imagine the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defense and Military attaché to the UK, who left UK with a container of books when he was recalled to Rwanda to spread the Gospel of “Ndumunyarwanda”. Here he is accused of organizing an insurrection by tarnishing the image of the country and illegal possession of firearms, a crime for which he was jointly convicted with Byabagamba.

Interestingly, Gen. Frank was allowed Guns all the time until the time when Kagame thought of revenging against the criticisms of his Brother-in-Law Dr Himbara David who has exposed all the Kagame’s dark side.

According to the Prosecution the charge of illegal possession of firearms stemmed from two guns that Rusagara kept at his home and which, after his arrest, were picked by Kabayiza who then took them to Byabagamba. The latter also never declared the guns. Even if he had declared them, the case of being relatives of Dr. David Himbara was enough to crucify them.

Although they all appealed against their conviction, the hope of being reversed by the superior court is slim given the nature of the case that involves Kagame and the experience of the Rwanda judicial system

The Rwandan opposition leader Ingabire Victoire was convicted for 8 years; she appealed against the sentence and the superior court sentence her to 15 years doubling her sentence. It’s rare for a superior court to reverse a sentence that deals with Kagame  Indeed, the Military officers who attempted were all dismissed and the decision was revered by Kagame not even other courts. This incidence was later defended by then the RDF spokesperson Col. Jil Rutaremera as scrutiny of the Commander -in- Chief.

All lies were labeled against the dual, even their colleagues were forced to come and testify against them, according to the lies of Kigali, “Both Rusagara and Byabagamba,, had on several occasions been warned against their actions but  they  turned a deaf ear”

In fact it doesn’t matter which Military or Civilian rank you hold in the Rwanda of Kagame, because you don’t get it by merit but by the mercy and loyalty to Kagame, therefore he has all the powers of withdrawing them or incarcerating any person at his time of choosing. The likes of Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, the recent sacking of Minister ODA Gasinzigwa just to mention a few, are a vindication that it’s a matter of time for others to walk the same journey.

Noble Marara