Ian Kagame, the son of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, has joined the Rwanda Defense Forces Presidential Guard months after graduating from the Rwandese army.
On Sunday, he made his first public appearance, dressed in a black suit and a white shirt, at the National Prayer Breakfast in Kigali.
The presidential guard, which is in charge of the security of the President and the First Family, is one of the National army’s three elite units.
Ian graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS), the UK’s most prestigious military college, in August of last year.
Ian was promoted to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and given a guard of honour before joining other parents and guardians to watch the graduates march.
He was one of 568 officer cadets commissioned at RMAS who graduated in November, with 24 studying abroad.
Ian is the third-born and second-youngest son of President Kagame with the working theory being that he is being groomed to take over from his father. With this training, he is expected to be promoted to the Army.
News that the 2nd lieutenant will be a bodyguard for his own father has divided many online with some seeing it as signs of a dictatorship while others applauded the move praising Ian’s hard work and grit.
Royal Military Academy is attended by sons of world leaders, including Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni’s controversial son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who graduated in 2000.
Ian’s military courses generated interest in the East African region months after he joined the college, with Muhoozi encouraging him to focus on the course and wishing him all the best in his studies.
“Be strong, be very fit, and let nobody intimidate you! You were always strong even as a young child!”
In the recent past, many strong African men have been sending their sons and heirs apparent to train and study military leadership at the RMAS.
Other former cadets from Africa Include Luhlabo Dhlamini, the son of King Mswati III of Swaziland and Prince Dawit Mekonnen – the Grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.
