A US-based Rwandan man, David Gakuba Mugisha, was on Thursday, February 5, arraigned before a Kigali court over the alleged murder of his colleague, Eric Ngabo. The two were on holiday in Kigali at the time of the incident.

The court heard that on January 23, Mugisha ran over Ngabo with a vehicle at a Kigali bar following an altercation. The two were friends who had known each other for years and had visited Kigali on several occasions.

According to the prosecutors, Mugisha ‘deliberately’ hit Ngabo with his car after an altercation, reversed, and ran over him a second time before fleeing the scene.

The altercation, they said, began inside the bar and was fuelled by repeated trolling and insults directed at Mugisha, including remarks about his mother, which they said heightened tensions.

They also told court that witnesses heard Mugisha threaten to kill Ngabo before the incident.

The prosecution further claimed that after hitting Ngabo, Mugisha drove through a second gate of the premises in an apparent attempt to escape, which they said showed intent and awareness of wrongdoing.

Mugisha denied the allegations, telling the court that he had no intention of killing Ngabo and that there was no feud between them. He said they had known each other since childhood and worked in the same profession.

"We met when we were about eight years old,” Mugisha said, adding that the alleged trolling was simply jokes exchanged among friends.

He recounted that on January 17, he met Ngabo and other acquaintances at the same bar, where disagreements arose over settling a shared bill. Mugisha said he paid the bill himself to avoid conflict and that this later contributed to tensions on January 23.

Mugisha claimed that on the night of January 23, he was followed by five men, including Ngabo, after leaving the bar. He said they cornered him in an elevator, grabbed his sweater, and assaulted him.

Fearing for his safety, he said he escaped and ran to his car with a friend. While driving away, Mugisha told court that he hit something but did not immediately realise it was Ngabo.

He said he only learned of Ngabo’s death after reaching Kabeza, when his friend received a message. Mugisha added that he later parked the car and voluntarily reported himself to Busanza Police Station.

He also claimed that some of the witnesses against him were among those who had allegedly assaulted him earlier that night.

Mugisha’s lawyers, Chantal Mukaruzagiriza and Youssuf Ndutiye, asked the court to grant him bail, arguing that the prosecution had not proved intent to kill.

They also requested that the charge be reduced from murder to manslaughter, saying the incident occurred as Mugisha tried to escape from a group that was allegedly attacking him.

The defence said Mugisha is not a flight risk, noting that his passport has been seized and that he owns property in Rwanda worth more than Rwf 30 million. They added that he would not have reported himself to the police if he intended to evade justice.

The court is expected to rule on the bail application on February 10.