Rwanda intelligence patch up: Are things no longer at ease in Gen. Kagame’s palace?

Chief Spy Major General Emmanuel Karenzi Karake

By Umuvugizi investigative team
Probably, Nigerian celebrated writer, Chinua Achebe should have paid a curtsey visit at Gen. Paul Kagame’s Palace last week as he rolled out a list of his new top military intelligence officers to the excitement of Rwandan general public. But one would ask if Kagame had time to read Achebe’s two great novels, Things Fall Apart and Things are No Longer at Ease, because he would have had a second thought about some of the names on his list changed. Probably Kagame was stuck with Ngugi W’thiongo’s Grain of wheat and seemed more engulfed in fear and panic that he had to make a line-up that seems more blood thirsty than an intelligence outfit to put national security in order.

Ofcourse, Gen. Kagame was buoyed with past scandalous state sponsored terrorism acts that included attempt to kill his former military chief of staff turned enemy Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa and several of his enemies including critical journalists sheltering in several world. Faced with pressure within himself and coated with bloody shame about his spy network’s failure to effectively accomplish the mission with ease or in military sense ‘put all his enemies out of action’, Kagame had all reasons to reconstitute his hunting team for a tough battle ahead.

So it goes, Gen. Kagame had to reshuffle the leadership of his security services, naming the former deputy commander of the UN-African Union force in Sudan’s Darfur region as his intelligence supremo. Never mind Major General Emmanuel Karenzi Karake, was during Kagame’s campaigns arrested for alleged misconduct last year but later freed after being pardoned.

However story has it that KK as is commonly called, was suspected by Kagame for being too close or sympathetic to Gen Kayumba and was rumored to have been trying to escape after he had made clear his mind about his position on Kayumba.

Gen. KK replaces Colonel Emmanuel Ndahiro who was transferred to the defense ministry under his real enemies led by Minister Gen James Kabarebe, Chief of general Staff, Gen. Charles Kayonga and Permanent Secretary in the ministry Gen. Jack Nziza. This is how Gen Kagame plays his Rudo game. Ironically so, is Col. Ndahiro, who was prior to his demotion seen as number two and so powerful that he could do anything including a closure of a newspaper or sacking of anyone from any office. It was Col. Ndahiro that authored a malicious dossier which led to the arrest of Gen. KK, a well known professional soldier, well educated and a good commander with independent mind. Ndahiro was hated by almost all senior soldiers as in all ways caused suffering of many through his counter spying and authoring dirty dossiers against many to his boss. It was Ndahiro that masterminded several assassination attempts of Kigali opponents both inside and outside. But some had some failures and so Kagame seemed fed up with a semi-civilian Colonel Ndahiro and needed to make another line-up that includes all military and combative officers.

With Ndahiro axed as the most feared chief spy and replaced with his would be traditional enemy, Gen. Kagame, who faces a challenge from former members of his inner circle now living in exile, also named Brigadier General Rchard Rutatina, his adviser on defence and security issues, as head of military intelligence. Rutatina (fearless), is well known for his blind support for Kagame and has for the past days been writing very bad articles against enemies of Kigali establishments. He is also known with his loose talk against any one opposing his boss Kagame. With now Rutatina as the head of military intelligence, Kagame’s critics including the small ones like journalists wherever they are, must be ready for his wrath, in an attempt to please his boss.

Little known Captain Patrick Karuretwa, steped into Rutatina’s previous post. Colonel Tom Byabagambi, head of the presidential guard, was appointed chief of a newly created anti-terrorist unit in the defence ministry and the general staff. Byabagamba’s posting is seen as a demotion given the fact that he has been so close to Kagame for a long time but given the fact that almost all his relatives in government are steadily losing Kagame’s trust, the boy as he normally calls him, was supposed to be purged. So fearful is Gen. Kagame that he is now scared by his own shadow and as he usually says, is ready to even kill a mosquito with a hammer.

And Colonel Dan Munyuza, who is well known for killing Rwandan refugees wherever they are, was named head of foreign intelligence. Munyuza, is expected to continue his mission of foreign terrorism unstopped now that he will be managing a classified budget with all different currencies. It is said that one of the reasons, Kayumba’s assassination never succeeded to its planed logic, was due to Munyuza’s lack of financial support or ability to easily maneuver to avail funds to the assassins in a record time for the mission.

Last days of KK
Of all appointments, it looks like Gen. KK, must trade carefully or begin counting his last days. The reasons are, KK is known as an independent person who doesn’t like to be used for dirty deals as much as Munyuza, Rutatina and all others would be. He is a person who will always ask why something is being done, question, the logic and rationale of every mission, something Kagame would not want to here. KK should either be ready to work hard by pleasing Kagame or face the same fate as his predecessors in the same position. Gen. Kayumba was once in this position after he was dropped from chief of staff. KK will be watched from thin to thick and followed in all steps he takes including how he sleeps in bed because Kagame can never trust him. This is why, in trying to use KK, a professional soldier, educated and thorough in his assignment to hunt down all Kagame’s critics, below him is Gen. Rutatina, Col Byabagamba, col. Dan Munyuza and LT Col Joseph Nzabamwita, the new spokesman of the Rwandan military. All these are intelligence officers who are too loyal to Kagame with passion, save for Nzabamwita who is in his redemption days after he was suspected to be allied to Gen. Kayumba. So KK is a terminator to hunt down his friends and Kagame’s enemies and Nzabamwita, a former external spy chief, will use his legal skills to spice up statements against the Kayumbas and Rudasigwas.