The Last King of Rwanda Has Passed Away

It is not surprising that many people do not know that Rwanda had a living, legitimate Monarch. Everyone knows about the government of the relatively efficient President Paul Kagame who has been in power since 2000. Everyone knows about the milestones set by women in the Rwandan government -  half of the country's Supreme Court Justices are women (7), women have 64% of the legislative seats in Rwanda.

President Paul Kagame

King Kigeli being escorted around a town in 1959

Unknown to many is the fact that 4 years after President Kagame was born, Rwanda's last king, the 7.2 feet tall His Imperial Majesty Kigeli V Ndahindurwa aka King Kigeli the Fifth in 1961 fled Rwanda after ruling the country for a mere 6 months. He was named King in 1959 after his half-brother, who was king, died of mysterious circumstances.

King Kigeli in 1959 with King Badouin of Belgium.  Belgium colonised Rwanda.

King Kigeli and a Belgian official, 1959

The monarchy was abolished that year and he had been in exile since then, moving from one African country to the other before the United States Government granted him asylum in the early 1990s. He was living in Virginia till his death on the 16th of October this year. Read more about Rwanda's last King here

In 1996 Paul Kagame, who was in Washington DC for meetings summoned him to a private reception at the Willard InterContinental Hotel and informed him that he was welcomed back to Rwanda as a private citizen but not as a King. Kigeli informed Kagame that it was a decision to be made by the Rwandan people. Kagame told the King that he will get back to him with a response, and apparently did not till the King passed away.

Rest in Peace King!