The body of Brig. Gen. (rtd) Andrew Rwigamba, who passed away at an Egyptian hospital on Thursday, arrived in the country yesterday aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

It was immediately taken to the mortuary at the Rwanda Military Hospital-Kanombe, his family said.

The flight arrived at around 1p.m, a day after the late Rwigamba succumbed to short illness at Cairo International Medical Centre where he was undergoing treatment.

His family and friends are keeping a vigil at the deceased’s home in the Remera-Kisementi area in the capital Kigali.

His younger brother Faroh Ndahiro told this newspaper on Thursday that the Rwigamba had been transferred to Cairo from King Faisal Kigali hospital about a week ago.

Rwigamba, who was 64, is survived by five children.

Ndahiro added that his brother was just a fortnight ago in good health.

"He had just completed a meeting at MINADEF (Ministry of Defence), at around 8p.m when he started feeling unwell and decided to go to King Faisal Hospital, where he was hospitalised and was okay for three days before his health started deteriorating very fast. This is when he was transferred to Cairo about a week ago,” he said.

Details about burial arrangements were not available by press time.

Rwigamba was Commissioner General of Rwanda National Police until 2008.

He retired from active military service in 2013.

He served as director general of military relations at the Ministry of Defence from 2011 until his demise.

Ndahiro described his late brother as selfless, patriotic, disciplined, and brilliant.

"He was a very bright student in school, very quiet and always meant business. When the time to liberate the country came, he joined the RPF (Rwanda Patriotic Front) and participated in the struggle,” he recalled.

RPF’s then military wing, Rwanda Patriotic Army, led by now President Paul Kagame, liberated the country in July 1994, effectively put a halt to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Born in May 12, 1955 in the Mutara region, Rwigamba attended Kabarole Primary School, before his family fled to Uganda in 1964. There, he attended his O’Level at Nyakasura School and later joined Makerere College for Advanced Level.

He later attained a Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University and a Masters of Arts Degree in International Studies at Nairobi University, and attended several other courses.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com