The plans are part of Kigali’s broader efforts to upgrade informal settlements while keeping residents connected to their existing communities.
In a post shared on X, Kigali City spokesperson Ntirenganya Emma Claudine said 793 housing units had already been built at Mpazi, with more than 500 families settled there. Another 44 units are currently under construction.
“Mpazi is not ending there: the project will continue progressively, with about 4,106 housing units planned upon completion,” she wrote in the post on Thursday.
The same approach is being implemented at Nyabisindu-Nyagatovu, where construction is underway to deliver approximately 2,029 housing units.
The city’s informal settlement upgrading programme has also reached Kabuhunde Village in Kagugu Cell, Kinyinya Sector, Gasabo District, where 716 residents are expected to benefit from improved housing.
Ntirenganya said 85 households whose properties are required for the Kabuhunde project have already received rental support to ensure they have accommodation as construction progresses.
She noted that households that owned land or houses within the project area will receive and own new housing units once construction is completed, based on the assessed value of their existing properties and applicable expropriation arrangements.
She stressed that the approach is intended to improve living conditions without disconnecting residents from their communities.
“Families can remain close to their jobs and businesses. Children can continue attending familiar schools. Residents can continue using the same markets and maintain their neighbours and social networks,” she said.
The upgrading programme is expected to improve not only housing but also the surrounding infrastructure, including sanitation, roads, drainage, recreational spaces and neighbourhood organisation.
“For low- and middle-income residents, upgrading informal settlements should improve both the home and the life around it, not disconnect one from the other,” Ntirenganya stated.
She added that the approach will be progressively implemented in Kabuhunde, Mpazi, and Nyabisindu-Nyagatovu, as well as other parts of Kigali.
Kigali City plans to progressively expand the Mpazi Model Village housing project in Gitega Sector, Nyarugenge District, to about 4,106 housing units, the city spokesperson has said.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the proposal on August 26, 2026, during a two-day visit to Mayotte, saying France intends to introduce a “bonus-malus” mechanism under which development aid would be tied to countries’ cooperation on migration-related issues.
The countries identified under the proposed framework are Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Comoros, Somalia and Kenya.
Lecornu said he had asked France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to develop a framework for the initiative, with implementation expected to begin in 2026 and be strengthened in 2027.
Under the proposed system, countries demonstrating cooperation in tackling migration challenges, combating human trafficking networks and accepting the return of their nationals from Mayotte could receive increased development assistance.
“It is normal for a country to receive more when it plays a role in meeting our expectations regarding migration,” Lecornu said.
He stressed, however, that humanitarian assistance to countries from which migrants originate would not be affected, with the proposed mechanism focusing primarily on development aid.
Matthieu Paris, from CCFD-Terre Solidaire, a civil society organisation, said development assistance should serve as a tool for cooperation rather than a means of exerting pressure on other countries.
Mayotte, a French-administered island in the Indian Ocean, has for years faced challenges related to irregular migration, particularly from neighbouring countries and other parts of East Africa.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the proposal on August 26, 2026, during a two-day visit to Mayotte, saying France intends to introduce a “bonus-malus” mechanism under which development aid would be tied to countries’ cooperation on migration-related issues.
According to former FDLR member Augustin Nshimiyimana, known within the group as Colonel Bora Manassé, the movement’s military ties with the Congolese armed forces go back decades.
Nshimiyimana said the group, initially known as ALiR, did not enter Zaire solely as a refugee population. Instead, its members maintained a military structure similar to that of the former Rwandan army and hoped to eventually return to Rwanda and regain political power.
Over the years, members of the group developed close relationships with successive Congolese governments and the country’s armed forces. Some were eventually integrated into the Congolese military, particularly during the process of incorporating armed groups into the national army following the 2002 Sun City agreements.
Nshimiyimana told IGIHE that after the Rwanda Patriotic Army’s victory in Rwanda, some Ex-FAR and Interahamwe members remained in eastern Zaire while others, including himself, crossed the Congo River and joined the Congolese armed forces, then known as the FAC.
“During those movements, many joined the FARDC. Many of them remain there today,” he said.
He identified several former ALiR members whom he said went on to occupy senior positions in the FARDC. Among them, he named Rucyahana Jean Baptiste, known as Colonel Jules Mulumba among the Wazalendo, and Annaclet Nsengiyumva, who rose to the rank of colonel and currently works in the DRC’s military intelligence structure.
Nshimiyimana also cited Mbangu Mbangu, who he said had been a corporal in ALiR but later became a colonel in the FARDC and commanded a regiment in Ituri Province.
Another former ALiR fighter known as “Karati,” he said, rose from the rank of corporal to lieutenant colonel in the Congolese army and commands a battalion in Misisi, Fizi Territory, in South Kivu Province.
He further revealed that other former members of the group occupy positions in different FARDC units.
“We know each other, we lived together, and there are many of them,” Nshimiyimana said.
From refugee camps to armed networks
Nshimiyimana also described how former Rwandan combatants became involved in conflicts involving armed communities in eastern Congo.
He said that when Ex-FAR and Interahamwe members arrived in eastern Zaire in 1994, they brought with them the ideology and military structures associated with the Rwandan conflict. According to him, they subsequently became involved in local conflicts and provided weapons and training to Congolese combatants.
“We gave them the guns we had brought with us,” he said.
Nshimiyimana named several Congolese military figures whom he claimed had received training or support from former Rwandan combatants, including Brigadier General Mugabo Hassan, Major General Mayanga and Brigadier General Davide.
Blurred lines between the FARDC and FDLR
Nshimiyimana argues that the presence of former FDLR and ALiR members within the Congolese military has created overlapping networks that make it difficult to distinguish between the FDLR and elements of the FARDC.
He described some former combatants now serving in the Congolese army as effectively acting as “FDLR ambassadors.”
“So who is going to attack the FDLR? It is present within the FARDC, and it is present within the Wazalendo,” he said, arguing that the integration of former combatants has blurred the distinction between armed groups and state forces.
Commenting on the DRC’s claim that the FDLR had agreed to voluntarily lay down its arms, he said the process could be complicated by the involvement of individuals and networks with past ties to the FDLR in operations against the group.
The former FDLR combatant suggested that stronger international pressure on Kinshasa could encourage the DRC government to more clearly separate its armed forces from the FDLR and take steps toward dismantling the group.
According to former FDLR member Augustin Nshimiyimana, known within the group as Colonel Bora Manassé, the movement’s military ties with the Congolese armed forces go back decades.The FARDC and FDLR have been working together for many years and have become deeply intertwined.
Speaking on a panel at the inaugural Africa Mindset Reset Forum, hosted by the African School of Governance (ASG) at the Kigali Convention Center, Kagame said Africa has “everything in place to succeed”: people, resources and lessons from its own history, yet keeps falling short because of attitudes Africans have not confronted.
He said the continent has been reduced to “simply admiring others,” pointing out that this often means admiring people and institutions outside Africa rather than fellow Africans doing good work at home. That habit, he argued, leaves the continent open to being dictated to by others, while Africans themselves lament and complain rather than act.
“Why don’t we do things so that we can actually admire each other?” Kagame asked, adding that there are capable people within Africa whom others on the continent should be joining and supporting, rather than looking elsewhere for inspiration.
The Head of State noted that Africa’s obstacles are less about missing resources or policy frameworks and more about a mindset that has not caught up with the continent’s ambitions. He said Africa cannot change without changing its own behaviour and attitudes, and that intentions must be matched with action and visible results.
Kagame co-founded the African School of Governance alongside former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. The school, officially inaugurated in January 2025, was created to train a new generation of African leaders grounded in homegrown solutions to the continent’s challenges.
Other leaders echo the call for accountability
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, sitting alongside Kagame on the panel, said none of Africa’s problems can be resolved without addressing the quality of its leadership. He argued that leaders on the continent owe each other honesty rather than diplomatic silence, saying failures in one country inevitably affect its neighbours.
Mbeki urged young Africans to stay committed to the cause “until the Africa we want does indeed emerge,” comparing the effort to running a marathon without dropping out.
Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, ASG’s co-founder and chairman, said the continent’s leadership has often been driven by a “rent-seeking” mindset rather than a developmental one. He pointed to Ethiopia’s own turnaround, from a country reliant on food aid in the 1970s to a grain surplus producer, as evidence that a deliberate mindset shift among ordinary farmers and officials can change a country’s trajectory within a generation.
Ghana’s Vice President, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, said Africa’s problem is not a shortage of policies or plans but a failure to take ownership of its own story and decisions. She called for capacity building that raises young Africans differently from previous generations, moving them from being “a victim of the circumstance to an active agent of change.”
ASG President Francis Gatare, opening the forum, introduced “Meta Africanism” as what he called the next stage of Pan-Africanism, a shift from resistance and solidarity toward collective construction, agency and disciplined implementation of Africa’s own plans.
The forum, running from August 25 to 26 in Kigali, has drawn more than 2,500 participants in person and thousands more following online.
President Kagame was speaking on a panel at the inaugural Africa Mindset Reset Forum, hosted by the African School of Governance (ASG) at the Kigali Convention Center.Kagame said Africa has “everything in place to succeed”: people, resources and lessons from its own history, yet keeps falling short because of attitudes Africans have not confronted.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum hosted by the African School of Governance (ASG) in Kigali on Tuesday, President Kagame said young people should not be driven into confrontation simply because they have the energy or ability to fight, but should first establish whether a cause is justified and worth the sacrifice it demands.
“You have to be selective. There has to be justification for a fight. Don’t just pick fights for the sake of it,” Kagame said.
“Don’t just pick a fight because you can fight. Choose a moment, choose what for. And it must be a just cause. And when you have been clear about it, you’ve done all the checks, then give it the fight it deserves. But be selective. Choose,” he stressed.
Kagame’s advice was rooted in his own experience as a Rwandan refugee. His family fled Rwanda amid persecution and violence in the early 1960s, and he spent much of his childhood and early life in Uganda as a refugee.
He told the forum that the hardships of life in exile shaped the determination among many Rwandans to reject a future of permanent displacement and seek a different life.
“We can’t live as refugees forever,” Kagame said, recalling the circumstances that pushed many Rwandans to make difficult choices about their future. He said some who had endured years of hardship reached a point where they felt they had to try to build “a life that is worth something” and one they could stand up and fight for.
In October 1990, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) launched an armed liberation struggle aimed at ending decades of exclusion and allowing refugees to return home. Kagame, who became commander of the RPF’s military forces, played a central role in the four-year struggle.
Reflecting on the decision to join the struggle, Kagame said it was a conscious choice made despite the enormous risks involved.
“When I was young, there were all kinds of problems that came with a silver lining, in the sense that they made a number of us who lived that life say, ‘We shouldn’t accept this,’” he recalled.
“Together with others, we made that choice, and we decided to shape the kind of life we wanted,” Kagame added, noting that those who took such decisions understood that the cost could be high.
The President said such choices also create a lasting sense of responsibility, particularly when they are made with the hope of improving the lives of others. Having taken risks to change their circumstances, he said, those who survive and succeed have an obligation to ensure that future generations do not experience the same hardships.
He urged young people to find a purpose that goes beyond themselves and to consider how their choices can affect the lives of others.
“It’s in your capacity, in your ability, in your every possibility to say, to give your life a purpose and to make a choice, a choice that you know, if you have made it, is not just going to be confined to your life, but it has impact on other people’s lives,” Kagame noted.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki also reflected on his experience of joining the African National Congress Youth League at the age of 13, drawing lessons from South Africa’s long struggle against apartheid.
“The struggle hasn’t ended. So you stay with the struggle, you stay on course. The commitment you made as a 13-year-old, you stay with it,” he reflected.
He urged young Africans to persevere in the pursuit of “the Africa we want,” even when the journey becomes difficult, echoing Kagame’s call for young people to choose meaningful causes and commit themselves to them.
The discussion took place at the inaugural Africa Mindset Reset Forum, which seeks to encourage a shift in attitudes and approaches needed to accelerate Africa’s transformation, moving beyond identifying the continent’s challenges towards collective action and implementation.
The two-day forum is being hosted by the African School of Governance, a pan-African institution for leadership, public policy and management co-founded by Kagame and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. The school was officially inaugurated in January 2025 after receiving accreditation from Rwanda’s Higher Education Council.
In his opening remarks, ASG President Francis Gatare said the school was founded on the conviction that Africa does not lack ambition, resources or talent, but needs the leadership mindset required to build strong institutions and deliver results. He said its mission is to help develop a new generation of ethical African leaders with a transformative mindset and a commitment to public service.
Gatare also welcomed the school’s new cohort, comprising 238 participants from 22 African countries, who are beginning programmes ranging from the Master of Public Administration to executive education and leadership programmes for young, emerging and senior leaders.
President Kagame was speaking during a panel discussion at the Africa Mindset Reset Forum hosted by the African School of Governance (ASG) in Kigali on Tuesday.President Kagame said young people should not be driven into confrontation simply because they have the energy or ability to fight, but should first establish whether a cause is justified and worth the sacrifice it demands.Former South African President Thabo Mbeki also reflected on his experience of joining the African National Congress Youth League at the age of 13, drawing lessons from South Africa’s long struggle against apartheid.Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the current Vice President of Ghana, was also a panellist at the forum.The African School of Governance was co-founded by Kagame and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn (pictured).ASG President Francis Gatare said the school was founded on the conviction that Africa does not lack ambition, resources or talent, but needs the leadership mindset required to build strong institutions and deliver results.
“During the day, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Moscow time, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 269 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones,” the ministry said in a statement.
A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that over the past 40 days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had persistently launched attacks on Russian civilian and logistics facilities using missiles and drones, which he described as “another gamble” by Ukraine and its Western backers aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
Putin said that Russian troops were not only continuing offensives along all fronts but also stepping up military pressure, and expressed confidence in accomplishing the goals of the special military operation.
Russian air defense system intercepted and shot down 269 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions in 12 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The mission is part of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), whose operationalisation was highlighted in a joint statement issued August 21 following five days of talks in Switzerland between representatives of the DRC government and AFC/M23.
The parties said an EJVM+ reconnaissance mission had been conducted on August 20 with logistical support from the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, ahead of the first ceasefire verification mission scheduled for Monday, August 24 in Minembwe.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of continued violence in the highlands of South Kivu, where localised ceasefire arrangements have repeatedly come under strain.
The Minembwe mission is therefore likely to be closely watched as a test of whether the monitoring mechanism agreed to under the Doha peace process can establish facts on the ground, investigate allegations and help prevent further escalation.
Monitoring mechanism faces first major test
The DRC government and AFC/M23 agreed in Doha last year to establish a joint ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism. The mechanism was designed to investigate violations and help the parties address incidents before they trigger renewed hostilities.
The latest joint statement says the parties have now made progress in putting the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus into operation, including establishing its secretariat and conducting the reconnaissance mission in Minembwe.
They also agreed on the need for a standardised method for reporting allegations of ceasefire violations.
That provision could prove particularly important in Minembwe, where the opposing sides have repeatedly issued competing accounts of attacks and casualties.
Fresh allegations of drone strikes
On August 22, AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused forces aligned with the Kinshasa government of carrying out drone strikes against populated areas of Mukoko and Nyamabuguma in the Minembwe axis.
The AFC/M23 insists that the people of Minembwe, in South Kivu, continue to be subjected to regular mortar and kamikaze drone attacks.
Kanyuka said the strikes occurred shortly after midnight, caused civilian deaths and damage to civilian infrastructure.
In a separate statement issued August 21, Kanyuka accused a coalition including the FARDC, FDLR, Wazalendo militias, foreign mercenaries and Burundi’s military of continuing attacks against civilians. He cited repeated drone and other bombardments along the Minembwe axis.
Doha process sets broader roadmap
The Minembwe mission comes as the DRC government and AFC/M23 seek to advance negotiations under the Doha Framework for a Comprehensive Peace Agreement, signed in Doha on November 15, 2025.
During their August 17-21 meetings in Switzerland, the parties agreed to establish a mechanism to review progress and address challenges in implementing their obligations under the framework.
They also developed a roadmap setting out steps and timelines for negotiating the remaining protocols.
The parties stressed that the sequence in which the protocols are negotiated would not necessarily determine the sequence of their implementation, and reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing a comprehensive settlement.
“The Parties agreed that the order of negotiation of the protocols does not dictate the order of implementation of the protocols,” the joint statement reads.
Qatar, the United States, Togo, the African Union Commission and Switzerland participated in or supported the meetings.
A credibility test on the ground
For the Doha process, the Minembwe mission carries significance beyond a single verification exercise.
The August 24 mission is expected to provide an early test of whether the EJVM+ can move from an agreement on paper to an operational mechanism capable of monitoring events in one of South Kivu’s most sensitive conflict zones.
Its findings could also shape confidence in the wider Doha process, particularly as mediators push to advance negotiations aimed at achieving a comprehensive peace agreement.
The DRC government and AFC/M23 agreed in Doha last year to establish a joint ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism. The mechanism was designed to investigate violations and help the parties address incidents before they trigger renewed hostilities.
Pope made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IGIHE during her visit to Rwanda, which began on August 19 and concluded on August 21, 2026.
The DG said she had been impressed by the clarity of Rwanda’s development vision and the alignment among government officials she met during the visit.
“I have to say I have been so impressed by the clarity and commitment to the vision of the president in this country,” Pope said, noting that the ministers she met were aligned around Rwanda’s development goals and the role migration can play in achieving them.
She noted that IOM considers Rwanda a critical partner as governments around the world confront increasing displacement caused by conflict, climate change and demographic changes.
“Our number one objective is to make sure that we have the trust and engagement with our member states, and Rwanda is a critical one,” she said.
Pope revealed that IOM’s engagement with Rwanda is aimed at helping the country and other governments anticipate migration-related challenges rather than responding only after crises emerge.
More people are being displaced by the effects of climate change than by any other factor, she noted, while conflicts and demographic changes are also reshaping migration patterns globally.
She held meetings with several Rwandan government officials, including Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva and ministers Olivier Nduhungirehe (Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation), Judith Uwizeye (Minister of Public Service and Labour), Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja (Minister of Justice and Attorney General), and Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Albert Murasira (Minister of Emergency Management).
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope held meetings with several Rwandan government officials, including Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva.
Pope observed that the meetings demonstrated the importance of treating migration as a cross-cutting issue involving sectors including emergency response, foreign affairs, justice, immigration and internal affairs.
“Across the board, we’re seeing a recognition that migration has to be brought into this overall conversation,” she noted.
Migration and Rwanda’s development agenda
One of the discussions during Pope’s visit focused on the connection between migration, investment and skills development.
Pope emphasised that if Rwanda wants to attract greater industrial investment, it needs a trained and skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of investors.
She noted that labour mobility can contribute to that objective by allowing Rwandans to work abroad, acquire new skills and return home to apply their experience to Rwanda’s development.
“Rwanda is a model for open migration policy,” Pope said.
The IOM chief also praised Rwanda for creating an environment in which migrants can integrate into society, describing the government’s approach as welcoming.
She noted that migrants in Rwanda can access education and job opportunities and are treated fairly, which she said makes a significant difference in determining how migration can be managed and supported.
Rwanda’s approach, she added, is consistent with a broader vision in which migration is incorporated into national development planning rather than being handled by a single institution or ministry.
“If you want migration to work well, having community engagement, recognizing the impact on education or health, recognizing the growth potential, recognizing the skills are needed, all of that has to be part of the approach,” Pope stressed.
She affirmed that Rwanda’s approach is well aligned with Vision 2050 and creates opportunities both for Rwandans working abroad and for people who come to Rwanda seeking better opportunities.
The DG affirmed that Rwanda’s approach aligns with Vision 2050 and creates opportunities for both Rwandans abroad and those seeking opportunities in Rwanda.
IOM faces funding constraints
Pope acknowledged that IOM, like other organisations working in the migration sector, is facing funding constraints.
She explained that the organisation has responded by seeking new partnerships, including with the private sector and development banks.
The private sector often relies on migration to meet its development objectives, while development banks can help finance efforts aimed at building skills and creating jobs, she added.
“We’re working hard, very closely with the government here to find new ways to meet the demands, recognizing that, unfortunately, the resources that are needed still are not enough,” Pope said.
From crisis management to opportunity
Pope noted that one of the achievements she is most proud of since taking office in 2023 is IOM’s shift in thinking about migration.
Rather than viewing migration primarily as a crisis that needs to be managed, she explained that the organisation is increasingly focused on how migration can produce better outcomes for individuals, communities and economies.
According to Pope, labour mobility is currently one of the fastest-growing areas of IOM’s work.
The organisation is working to create opportunities for people to move safely, legally and with dignity so that they can benefit from employment opportunities in other countries. It also aims to reduce the number of people who are scammed, die during migration journeys, or fall victim to smugglers and traffickers.
She stressed that such opportunities require planning and cooperation between governments, businesses and other partners.
“That doesn’t happen by accident,” Pope said. “That happens because of planning, of strategic engagement, of partnerships with private sector, partnerships with the governments themselves, whether they’re sending government or host government.”
IOM’s post-visit statement similarly highlighted skills development, labour mobility, diaspora engagement and protection as areas where migration can contribute to jobs, economic growth and regional cooperation.
“No country can address migration challenges alone,” Pope said in the statement. “Continued cooperation between governments, international partners and the private sector is essential to expanding opportunities and ensuring migration works for people and communities.”
The IOM chief during a meeting with Minister of Public Service and Labour Judith Uwizeye on Thursday, August, 20, 2026.
Rwanda’s role in migration cooperation
Pope’s comments come as Rwanda continues to position itself as a partner in international efforts to address migration challenges.
Currently, Rwanda hosts approximately 135,000 to 137,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The majority of this population originates from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.
Rwanda has previously worked with international organisations through its Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) in Gashora, which temporarily hosts vulnerable asylum seekers and refugees evacuated from Libya while arrangements are made for their future.
The mechanism was established in 2019 in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency.
Rwanda’s Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo recently confirmed that Rwanda and Italy are holding discussions on a potential migration partnership, although she stressed that no agreement had been reached.
One idea under discussion is reportedly to build on the existing Gashora mechanism to provide a safe place for people fleeing conflict or persecution. Makolo explained that Rwanda’s willingness to participate in migration partnerships is informed by the country’s own history of displacement and return.
She also added that Rwanda wants to contribute to reducing the dangers faced by Africans undertaking irregular journeys across the Sahara and the Mediterranean.
“We don’t want Africans making dangerous journeys across the desert and dying in the Mediterranean,” Makolo said during a recent interview with Royal FM.
The DG also held talks with Olivier Nduhungirehe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.IOM DG held talks with Dr. Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, on Thursday.
Pope revealed that IOM’s engagement with Rwanda is aimed at helping the country and other governments anticipate migration-related challenges rather than responding only after crises emerge.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was carrying seven people when it went down near Mount Ololokwe at about 9:13 a.m. local time, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. The aircraft, operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, had been flying from Loisaba to Ewaso Nyiro.
Among those killed was Michele Sensi-Contugi, Ecuador’s Director General of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES) and an ally of President Daniel Noboa. His wife, Stephany Maria Hollihan Vásconez, also died in the crash. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the couple were aboard the helicopter and said they held dual Ecuadorian and Italian citizenship.
Michele Sensi-Contugi, Ecuador’s Director General of the Strategic Intelligence Center (CIES), was among those killed in the crash.
The five Americans killed were identified as Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra, Jose Alberto Suarez and Vásconez, according to officials. Suarez was president and general manager of several Telemundo stations.
The Kenyan pilot, Josh Outram, also died. Outram was described as an experienced aviator and founder of Africa Heli Adventures.
The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain near Mount Ololokwe and caught fire, complicating rescue and recovery efforts. The Kenya Red Cross said a multi-agency operation was launched, with difficult terrain and the active fire hampering access to the wreckage.
Kenya Red Cross emergency teams during a rescue and recovery operation after a helicopter crash killed tourists near Mt. Ololokwe in Samburu, Kenya, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
The U.S. State Department said the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was assisting local authorities and providing consular support to the victims’ families.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones on their loss,” a State Department spokesperson said.
Luxury travel company &Beyond, which said the helicopter was carrying its guests, also expressed condolences. Lady Lori Helicopters said the cause of the crash remained under investigation.
Kenya’s Air Accident Investigation Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. Authorities have not established a definitive cause, and officials have cautioned that the investigation remains ongoing.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 was carrying seven people when it went down near Mount Ololokwe at about 9:13 a.m. local time, according to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority.
RIB spokesperson Dr. Murangira B. Thierry told IGIHE that the file was submitted on August 18, 2026.
Murangira said that although investigations are still ongoing, Shema is being investigated for allegedly issuing a bad cheque.
“His case file has been sent to the prosecution. Although investigations are still ongoing, he is being investigated for issuing a bad cheque,” he said.
RIB arrested Shema on August 11, 2026. He was subsequently detained at the RIB station in Kicukiro.
Shema was elected FERWAFA president on August 30, 2025, during the federation’s ordinary general assembly, alongside members of the executive committee he leads. The team was dubbed the “Dream Team.”
After taking office, Shema, a former president of AS Kigali, outlined plans to transform Rwandan football, with a focus on women’s football, youth development and infrastructure, among other areas.
Shema served as president of AS Kigali for six years, during which the club won several trophies, including the 2019 and 2022 Peace Cups and the 2022 Super Cup.
Outside football, Shema is the managing director of Africa Medical Supplier, a company that supplies medical equipment in Rwanda.
The case file of Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) president Fabrice Shema has been forwarded to the prosecution, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) has confirmed.
