The South African police are investigating reports that a blackberry model phone belonging to murdered former Rwanda spymaster, Col Patrick Karegeya, was stolen.
Family members of the deceased sent a message to Chimpreports on Saturday, alleging that the killers of the exiled Colonel took away his phone and that private information would be leaked to his enemies.
The telephone conversations, messages and emails between Karegeya and his colleagues reportedly contain master plans drawn by opposition forces in the Diaspora to oust President Paul Kagame.
“I think that is propaganda by some of Karegeya’s relatives to show that Rwanda was involved in the murder,” said a source in Kigali, who preferred anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.
Before he was killed at a luxurious Hotel in South Africa early this week, Karegeya is said to have intensified plans to unseat President Kagame through military means – either by a coup or by external aggression from the DRC.
Karegeya is said to have been running a sophisticated espionage system in Rwanda to facilitate forces within the region and the international community to overthrow Kagame.
An impeccable source also said Karegeya had been spotted in the Eastern DRC in 2011 and that he was a regular visitor of a neighbouring country where he would be hosted at a Presidential palace.
Suspect named
As investigations into the murder intensify, South Africa Police are reportedly searching for a one Apollo whom Karegeya picked at a railway station. According to a close family friend who met Karegeya two days before he was killed, Apollo asked the deceased to rent for him a room at Johannesburg’s luxurious Michelangelo Towers hotel.
“Apollo asked Patrick to rent him a room and he did. So, the room was under Patrick’s name. Apollo was in a room since December 29. His buddies joined him on January 31 and Patrick entered the room around 8:20 PM,” the source added.
“He (Karegeya) joined Apollo for a chat, but the latter had prepared other commandos, and I think they were hidden in the bathroom. Then when he entered the television was on maximum, he got attacked and strangled.”
According to a Police statement released Thursday afternoon, a rope and blood-soaked towel were found in the room where Karegeya’s body was found.
The source said “this Apollo was Patrick’s friend since in Rwanda, and he started visiting him (Patrick) since 2011. I think after strangling him, there was no reason to wait in SA. I think they all left the same night toward Mozambique.”
Burial preparations
Meanwhile, latest information shows that relatives of the deceased are working closely with Police in South Africa to have the body released for burial.
It remains unclear where Karegeya will be laid to rest.
Family members in Mbarara want the deceased buried in Biharwe but government is yet to make an official position on the matter.
Background
Born in Mbarara, South western Uganda, Karegeya attended Makerere University where he earned a Bachelor of Law degree.
He later joined the NRA bush war that brought President Museveni into power in 1986 after which he served as ADC to the head of then Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) at Basiima House.
He would later be elevated to Assistant Director in charge of Counter Intelligence under Maj Paul Kagame.
Karegeya is said to have been one of the main recruiters of Rwandese combatants in the RPF war that ended the 1994 genocide.
Between 1994 and 2004 Karegeya was Director General, External Intelligence in the Rwandan Defence Forces where he was tasked with gathering and acting on intelligence about foreign enemies.
In 2006, he was stripped of his rank and jailed for insubordination and other charges.
A year later, he fled to South Africa where he sought political refuge.
Karegeya later teamed up with Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa and Theogene Rudasingwa to form the Rwanda National Congress (RNC).
At the time of his death, Karegeya was coordinating the organisation’s clandestine activities, with Kigali linking him to a string of grenade attacks in Rwanda’s Capital.
He is survived by three children and a wife.
