Robert Kabera, a former Rwandan army sergeant major and outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda.

Kabera, 50, fled Rwanda after being accused of sexual assault, an allegation he denied, and sought asylum in Uganda, citing political persecution.

Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed the incident on Monday, saying the victim’s head had not been recovered.

According to Rusoke, police in Mpigi received a murder report on Saturday, October 17, 2026, after local residents discovered Kabera’s body on the outskirts of Kampala.

“The victim was identified as Mr Robert Kabeera, a 50-year-old, whose head had been decapitated,” Rusoke said in a statement posted on the Ugandan Police X account.

He added that the body had been taken to the City Mortuary at Mulago as investigations commenced.

Kabera’s widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes that she feared for her safety and that of their children.

“It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,” she said in a written message.

According to his family, Kabera had travelled to inspect a construction site about 45 kilometres outside Kampala before his death.

He was also a musician and YouTuber with more than 144,000 subscribers and over 800 videos, many of which criticised Kagame and his administration.

The opposition Rwanda National Congress (RNC) has called for a thorough investigation into the killing, urging authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible.

In a statement on X, the group said Kabera fled Rwanda because he feared for his life and had hoped to find safety and rebuild his future in Uganda.

The RNC added that his death had heightened concerns about the safety of Rwandan dissidents living in exile.

Kabera’s killing has drawn comparisons with the 2014 death of Patrick Karegeya, a former Rwandan intelligence chief and co-founder of the RNC, who was found dead in a hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Karegeya had fallen out with Kagame and fled Rwanda in 2007 after serving an 18-month prison sentence for insubordination and desertion. He later became a vocal critic of the Rwandan government.

Following Karegeya’s death, Kagame made remarks widely interpreted as a warning to his critics.

“Any person alive who may be plotting against Rwanda, whoever they are, will pay the price. Whoever it is, it is a matter of time,” he said.

In 2019, South African authorities issued arrest warrants for two Rwandans accused of murdering Karegeya.

The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on Kabera’s death.