IN SHORT: A short video that went viral online in late June 2025 claims Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has died, as announced by Kenyan lawyer PLO Lumumba. But Kagame is alive, and the speaker in the video is not Lumumba.
A short video began circulating widely on TikTok, Facebook, on X and on YouTube in East Africa from 24 June 2025.
In it, a man who looks and sounds like Kenyan lawyer and public speaker Prof PLO Lumumba says he is sorry to announce the death of Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame.
He accuses the Rwandan government of hiding Kagame’s death, comparing it to how Tanzania delayed announcing the death of its former president John Magufuli. He also claims Kagame died five days earlier, criticises the declaration of a national holiday without explanation, and warns first lady Jeannette Kagame not to try to take power. He mentions the recent arrest of opposition politician Victoire Ingabire and suggests it is part of a plan to silence critics before announcing Kagame’s death.
The video quickly spread, gaining over 907,000 views on TikTok and over 15,000 views across other platforms, along with comments and shares.
Kagame and Rwanda
Paul Kagame has been the president of Rwanda since 2000 and has played a role in the country’s development and stability. His government is also often criticised for cracking down on political opposition and press freedom.
First lady Jeannette Kagame is active in public life but holds no official political position. The video refers to the recent arrest of Victoire Ingabire, a well-known opposition figure in Rwanda, who was taken into custody on 19 June 2025. While the arrest is real, the video links it to an alleged plan by Jeannette Kagame to take over after her husband's death.
The post makes several claims: that Paul Kagame is dead, that the government is hiding it, and that his wife is preparing to take power. But is any of it true?
We checked.
Deepfake video; Kagame alive
First, the man in the video is not actually Lumumba. Although he resembles Lumumba slightly and speaks in a similar style, it is clear that it’s not him. The speaker’s grammar is inconsistent and awkward in ways that don’t match Lumumba’s usually polished way of speaking. Some phrases, such as “Do not try and ever try”, are especially clumsy.
The video’s setting also raises doubts. It shows the man sitting on a light blue sofa in front of a plain black background, often seen in low-quality deepfake videos. These are impersonations in which artificial intelligence (AI) tools are used to manipulate real videos, or create videos from images.
It is likely that this video was created using these tools to make the speaker sound like and resemble Lumumba, based on a real photo – possibly this image of Lumumba.
Most importantly, Kagame is not dead. He has made several public appearances since the videos began circulating. On the same day of the TikTok claim, 24 June, Kagame met with former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, and on 25 June he held talks with the president of the African Development Bank.
All his recent activities are shared on official channels, including Kagame’s verified X and YouTube accounts, and are corroborated by news reports. There has been no official announcement of his death, and there is no credible evidence to suggest he has died or that his wife is attempting to take over power.
We previously debunked a fake press release claiming Kagame was hospitalised in Europe.
The video appears to have been created using AI tools. The man speaking is not Lumumba, the claims made in the video are not backed by facts, and Kagame is alive and active.
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