A year ago, Gustave Makonene, an employee of Transparency International-Rwanda, was found murdered in the Western Province town of Rubavu.

His body was discovered by the shores of Lake Kivu on July 18 wrapped around a tree, with a rope around the neck. A police post-mortem showed that the anti-corruption activist was strangled.

The trail of his murderers has since grown cold. Rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) says little has been done by Rwandan authorities to ascertain whether his death was a result of common crime or it was linked to his work.

HRW Africa director Daniel Bekele said failure to bring Makonene’s killers to book could corroborate claims that he was murdered for the graft-related cases that he was investigating, some of which reportedly involved police officers.

“There appears to be little progress in the investigation,” Mr Bekele said. “Rwandan authorities have told Human Rights Watch the file is still open.

“The Ministry of Justice only says investigations are ongoing and that there was additional information from the police.”

However, National Public Prosecution spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told Rwanda Today the case file had been “temporarily shelved,” but that did not necessarily mean the case was abandoned.

READ: Rwanda on the spot over activist’s killing

“It is not true that we have lost interest in the case,” said Mr Mukuralinda. “People or organisations can say what they want but this is a judicial process and it is following the right steps.

Suspects released

“We had four suspects and they were exonerated by the court. What do you do in such a case?”

He denied allegations that the law enforcement organs lacked the will to bring the culprits to book, adding that the case can be reopened any time if new evidence emerged.

Marie Immaculée Ingabire, the chairperson of TI-Rwanda, said the organisation was yet to come to terms with the loss of one of their own and that it was “unfortunate” that his killers were yet to be caught.

“We are still waiting with the hope that one day his murderers will be arrested and taken to court,” she said.

Makonene’s elder brother Janvier Ntarindwa said the family was aggrieved by the death of their kin.

“He had no known enemies,” Mr Ntarindwa said. “He was a peaceful man, loved by everyone. He had not expressed any concerns to us.

“It’s sad that the people who killed him are still out there roaming freely. We are hopeful that, if no one is covering up the murder and protecting those who did it, one day they will be apprehended.”

But Mr Makonene’s is not the only unresolved murder.

Maj (Rtd) John Sengati

John Sengati was a major in the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) until 2010 when he retired and went into business, particularly dealing in minerals through his John Sengati Ltd.

On the evening of Saturday, May 11, 2013, Sengati died under a hail of bullets in Rukoma Sector in the Southern Province district of Kamonyi as he returned from his mining projects in Muhanga District.

Unknown people who had trailed the coltan dealer in a vehicle blocked his car before one of the pursuers shot him 12 times with a revolver, killing him instantly.

The Rwanda National Police was quick to link Sengati’s shooting with suspected financial wrangles with his business partners. Southern Province police spokesperson CSP Hubert Gashagaza said there were leads that Sengati had some misunderstandings with his partners.

“Four people were arrested in connection with Sengati’s murder,” said Mr Gashagaza. “Their case files were transferred to Prosecution.”
However, according to reliable sources in RNP, two of the men were released last year. The other two appeared in court but were released for insufficient evidence.

Mr Mukuralinda told Rwanda Today that the two were released because of lack of evidence but the case file was not yet closed.

“There was a policeman who was on the run, but when he was arrested, again there was lack of evidence. He was cleared,” he added.

A friend of Sengati’s who fought alongside him in the Liberation struggle told Rwanda Today on condition of anonymity that little had been done to find the murderers.

“So far, no one has been charged,” said the retired lieutenant-colonel, who worked with Sengati in Muhanga. “We have been trying to follow up to no avail.”

Shortly after the murder, however, exiled opposition group Rwanda National Congress (RNC) claimed that Sengati was killed because he was thought to be its member. He was also reportedly at one time an aide-de-camp to exiled Lt-Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa, when he was the army chief of staff.

Police, however maintained their theory of financial misunderstandings as it confirmed that no one had been charged for the crime.

John Rutayisire

In the wee hours of November 13, 2010, residents found the cold body of John Rutayisire next to his car, a black Suzuki Vitara, in Kabuga Sector, Gasabo District.

The accountant of Bourbon Coffee, a chain of coffee shops owned by RPF’s business arm Crystal Ventures, had held a similar position in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

Rutayisire, 36, left behind a wife and two young children.

Eyewitnesses said Rutayisire’s killers, who had trailed him on his way home in Kanombe, Kigali, dragged him out of his car and drove him to an isolated place in Kabuga.

Abraham Muhawenimana then told a local newspaper that there was no commotion when the three saloon cars, including one with a Ugandan registration number as well as Rutayisire’s, arrived at the scene at around 4am. Interestingly, Prosecution could not trace the case file.

John Rugambwa, the deceased’s brother, said the family was still waiting for justice and that no one had been arrested for the murder.

“I cannot add anything to that,” Mr Rugambwa said.

According to sources, Rutayisire’s family was gripped by fear after his death, with some of his relatives relocating to Uganda. He is said to have been related to former chief of external intelligence Col Patrick Karegeya, who was found murdered in a South African hotel on December 31 last year.

Karegeya had become one of the most vocal critics of the current government.