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Burglars break into Habineza's home as poll campaigns kick off

Thursday August 16 2018
By IVAN R. MUGISHA

Robbers broke into the house of Rwanda’s main opposition leader in Kigali in the wee hours of Thursday, not long after he had returned home from election campaigns.

Frank Habineza, the chairman of the Green Party, his wife and children were asleep when the burglars struck.

No one was hurt in the incident but the robbers made away with electronics and cutlery.

“We were deep asleep when the robbery took place. One window was shuttered and a metallic bar was removed to give the thieves access inside the house,” Mr Habineza told The EastAfrican.

He said he reported the matter to the police.

Rwanda Investigative Bureau (RIB) spokesman Modeste Mbabazi confirmed the incident.

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“Mr Habineza informed RIB that his house was robbed last night and investigations started immediately,” he told The EastAfrican.

The Green Party leader said he arrived at his home in Kimironko, a suburb of Kigali, at about 11pm local time on Wednesday from campaign rallies in Kayonza district, Eastern Province.

The party has hit the ground running after campaigns for parliamentary elections kicked off on Monday.

The opposition is seeking to win seats in Parliament in what would be their first ever representation in the House.

“We were tired after the campaign,” Mr Habineza said, adding that he needed to get some rest before he could “return to the campaign trail”.

Following the robbery, he was forced to cancel and reschedule activities he had lined up for the campaign including interviews with radio and television stations on Thursday.

The electoral commission said the incident was regrettable.

"I last spoke to Mr Habineza at about 8pm yesterday [Wednesday] and he told me that his campaign trail was going well as planned. I have just learned about the robbery and it is regrettable," Mr Charles Munyaneza, the executive secretary of National Electoral Commission, said in an interview.

The parliamentary elections are slated for September 2.

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