By David Himbara
General Paul Kagame built the Kigali Basketball Arena at a cost US$104 million as part of the US$1.5 billion spent on infrastructure to attract Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism. When Kagame launched it in 2019, he boasted that “this arena is not just a decoration to be visited on Christmas and New Year. It was built to host the best basketball players of Rwanda and Africa, for them to train, play and win here.”
Fast forward to September 18, 2021. Kigali Basketball Arena became a scene of fraud happening under the watchful eye of the Rwandan strongman. He has been attending the ongoing African Nations Volleyball Championship hosted by the Rwanda Volleyball Federation and Rwanda’s Ministry of Sports. With Kagame looking on, it turned that the Rwandan team was fielding four players with unusual names – Aline Siqueira, Apolinario Caroline Taiana, Mariana Da Silva and Moreira Bianca Gomes. They are all Brazilians. Both Rwanda Volleyball Federation and the National Team have been suspended from the African Nations Volleyball Championship. Kagame’s Rwanda is synonymous with fraud. Will Kagame continue to watch the games? Stay tuned.