By David Himbara
I wish I were a psychologist or psychiatrist. The two fields share a same fundamental aim — understanding behavior and alleviating mental distress. If I were psychologist or psychiatrist, I would most certainly attempt to understand President Paul Kagame’s mental facilities and what provokes his extraordinary cruelty.
Take a look the case of the Rwigara family and the sequence of Kagame’s terror on them.
- Assinapol Rwigara, a successful businessman, took a risk and supported Kagame and RPF during the regime of General Juvenal Habyarimana.
- Assinapol Rwigara remained a successful businessman during the Kagame regime investing in a hotel, real estate, and tobacco industry.
- Assinapol Rwigara, like almost all other leading Rwandan businessmen, routinely fall out of Kagame’s favour. Some these businessmen flee Rwanda but Rwigara stayed in Rwanda.
- Assinapol Rwigara dies in a mysterious automobile accident.
- The Rwigara family asks Kagame to investigate Assinapol Rwigara’s mysterious death.
- Kagame responds by demolishing Rwigara’s hotel in Kigali.
- Diane Rwigara — Assinapol’s daughter — decides to run for the Rwandan presidency.
- Kagame disqualifies Diane Rwigara from running for Rwandan presidency and locks the Rwigaras in their home.
- Kagame throws Diane Rwigara and her mother Adeline Rwigara into prison.
- Kagame auctions the Rwigaras’ last major asset, namely, their tobacco business.
So what do we learn from this tragedy? Adopt what I call the Alfred Kalisa model

The lesson from the tragedy of the Rwigaras is simple.
- Kagame is a ruthless ruler who takes and saves lives as he wishes.
- Kagame determines success and failure of every Rwandan.
- Kagame determines what goes on in Rwanda, both in public and private spaces.
- Kagame does not tolerate any independent expression of any kind from anybody. If you dare express even a mild criticism, Kagame will finish you either metaphorically or literally as in death.
Kagame, therefore, demands that all Rwandan business persons adopt what I call Alfred Kalisa model.
- Kalisa was a top banker who conducted business with Kagame and RPF. He was CEO and Board Chairman of the former Bank of Commerce, Development and Industry (BCDI).
- When Kalisa fell out with Kagame, the banker lost his bank.
- Kagame threw Kalisa in jail without a fair trial.
- Kalisa quietly accepted his fate and served his prison term.
- Kagame later decided to forgive Kalisa for good behaviour in prison.
- Kagame then rewarded Kalisa handsomely by making him Rwanda’s ambassador to Angola.
And the two men lived happily ever after.😂


