THE IAN PROJECT? Kagame’s Son Ian Joins Army Unit Guarding His Father

Ian, a son to Rwandan president Paul Kagame, has joined the Republican Guard, a unit whose role is guarding the head of state and members of the first family in the small East African country. 

The Republican Guard is similar to Uganda’s Special Forces Command (SFC). Ian, who was seen guarding his father Paul Kagame at the weekend, was commissioned into the Rwandan army a few months ago.

On November 04, 2022, Ian and his cohort were commissioned into the army at the Gako military base in Bugesera District. President Kagame, the commander in chief of the country’s armed forces, presided over the event.

Ian Kagame was commissioned as a second lieutenant (2nd Lt) following his graduation from the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, UK. Since his commissioning last year, Ian had not appeared in public guarding his father. Most Rwandans and observers of the political and military happenings in Kigali had not learnt of Ian’s deployment into the Republican Guard.

But on Sunday, photos of Ian guarding his father at a prayer breakfast held at the Kigali Convention Center were also the world needed to learn that Ian had been deployed into the Rwandan presidential guard unit.

On duty shortly before his father arrived and during his presence at the breakfast meeting, Ian was dressed smartly and carried communication gadgets. At one point he was pictured standing near a table where his father Paul was seated.

Currently aged 65, Kagame continues to tighten his grip on Rwanda. His age also means that he is a few decades away from his retirement. Ian is one of Kagame’s four children. The others are: Ange Kagame, Ivan Cyomoro Kagame, and Brian Kagame.

Ian’s recent deployment is being seen by some as part of some rumored plot by Kagame to groom his son to take over from him. But if it exists, ‘the Ian Project’ is yet to gain as much traction as the Muhoozi Project of the Museveni succession plot in neighboring Uganda. (See Details Here).