Emmanuel Muvandimwe, 19, was sentenced to life in prison after a Gasabo court found him guilty of raping 17 boys.

According to a statement from the National Public Prosecution Authority, the sentence was passed on February 16.

The now-convicted sex offender was arrested after several parents in Gatsata Sector, Gasabo District, found out in October last year, that their children, all boys, had been repeatedly defiled by Muvandimwe, who lived in the neighbourhood.

All the victims, aged between seven and 14, were defiled within a space of just two months.

"On February 16, 2021 Gasabo Intermediate Court delivered the verdict of the case in which prosecution accuses Emmanuel Muvandimwe of defiling young boys aged between 7 and 14 in different times. The court convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment,” says the statement.

The crime was discovered on October 19 last year after Muvandimwe reportedly lured the boys with car toys to convince and defile them.

He was sentenced to life based on article 4 of law number 069/2019 of 8/11/2019 that repeals the law number 068/2018 of 30/08/2018 governing penal code in Rwanda.

Latest figures show that in the first six months of 2020, some 2,157 cases of defilement have been reported to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

RIB said that while 3,152 cases were reported in 2018 and 3,623 in 2019, there were indications that the number this year would most likely be higher.

Of these, 3,135 cases reported were girls while 80 were boys. 

In the case of Muvandimwe, court had ordered prosecution to present more evidence including mental check-up for the suspect and if the victims’ health might have been affected such as contaminating any sexually transmitted diseases.

By press time prosecution spokesperson, Augustin Nkusi, was not available to provide any details.