By: Robert Patrick Fati Gakwerere
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa, an entrepreneur and philanthropist as well as the founder of the Pan African Tobacco Group—Africa’s largest indigenous tobacco product producer—has passed away. Ayabatwa’s business interests were diverse, spanning sectors such as cement, real estate, wine, farming, and minerals, with operations spread across various jurisdictions in Africa and the UAE.
Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa fled Rwanda in 2010. Following his departure, Criminal Paul Kagame seized all of Ayabatwa’s assets in Rwanda, including properties, lands, and funds held in Rwandan banks. Without any single mercy, Criminal Paul Kagame grabbed every asset owned by Rujugiro in Rwanda, positioning himself as a ruthless figure with no moral code, who persecutes those who once supported him and his family. The case of Mzee Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa serves as a poignant example of this behavior.
Sources indicate that Tribert Rujugiro Ayabatwa died of a heart attack on the evening of 16th April 2024.