{"id":56206,"date":"2025-11-09T13:26:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T13:26:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/president-kagame-addresses-sons-military-choices-speculation-on-daughter-being\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T15:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:29:10","slug":"president-kagame-addresses-sons-military-choices-speculation-on-daughter-being","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/president-kagame-addresses-sons-military-choices-speculation-on-daughter-being\/","title":{"rendered":"President Kagame addresses sons\u2019 military choices, speculation on daughter being groomed for presidency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Speaking at a gala attended by leaders and members of the Unity Club Intwararumuri on November 8, 2025, President Kagame said he had hoped all three of his sons would join the RDF, but his eldest, Ivan Cyomoro Kagame, chose instead to pursue business and investment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Once they grew up, I told them my wishes, and they accepted, but one of them refused. He told me, &#8216;This is not how I want to be.&#8217; I told him, &#8216;Do what you want. If you don\u2019t want to join, that\u2019s your choice.&#8217; I asked, &#8216;What do you want to do?&#8217; and he said, &#8216;I want to make money.&#8217; He added, &#8216;When I finish studying, I will go into business,'&#8221; President Kagame revealed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Afterwards, he told me, &#8216;You and the other young men, my younger siblings, because by that time you\u2019ll be pursuing other things, I will take care of you. I want to take care of you. Let me do that, and you do what you want,'&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Kagame, the youngest son of President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, joined the RDF on October 3, 2025, after completing military training at the Sandhurst Military Academy in the United Kingdom. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Capt. Ian Kagame, who currently serves in the Republican Guard elite unit responsible for protecting the President and other top state leaders.<\/p>\n<p>President Kagame said he had advised his sons to finish Master&#8217;s degrees before joining the military, but both insisted on starting their military careers earlier. He emphasised that every child should have the right to pursue their own aspirations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny Rwandan child, including mine, should be able to become what they want or do what they want to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>On the subject of his daughter, Ange Kagame, and rumours about her being prepared for the presidency, the President affirmed that his daughter\u2019s future will be guided by her own ambitions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw on social media that people say I am preparing my daughter to lead the country. But who prepared me? I wasn\u2019t prepared by my father,\u201d he said. \u201cMy children are Rwandans like any other, and they will live their lives like everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Kagame added that he cannot choose who becomes President, and the daughter in question may not even desire such a role.<\/p>\n<p>President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame have been blessed with four children: three sons and a daughter.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97412 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/54910474778_2b7370cb2d_k-4d08c.jpg\" alt=\"President Kagame said he has no plans to groom Ange Kagame to succeed him.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97413 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/54910250236_20f7d2c6e4_k-74807.jpg\" alt=\"The Unity Club Intwararumuri gathering on November 8, 2025, was attended by leaders from various institutions.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97411 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/54910249901_5e640dbd54_k-776cc.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97409 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/whatsapp_image_2025-10-03_at_10.12_25_fc226498-ef22a-2-dc2cb.jpg\" alt=\"Second Lieutenant Brian Kagame (center), the youngest son of President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, joined the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) in October.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97410 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/c07a9849-e8970-f2ba9.jpg\" alt=\"Captain Ian Kagame has been serving in the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) for some time.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-97408 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/whatsapp_image_2024-07-09_at_13_18_15_1_-7cd9e.jpg\" alt=\"Ivan Kagame declined to join the Rwanda Defence Forces, opting to pursue a career in business and investment.\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Paul Kagame has clarified that his children are free to choose their own paths, including joining the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), while also addressing speculation that his daughter, Ange Kagame, is being prepared to succeed him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000097407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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