King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa

Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa was born on June 29, 1936, in Kamembe, Cyangugu. Following the sudden death of his half-brother Mwami Mutara III Rudahigwa in July 1959, he was proclaimed King of Rwanda as Mwami Kigeli V at Mwima.

Taking the throne during a tumultuous period marked by Belgian colonial machinations and escalating ethnic tensions, Kigeli V advocated a constitutional monarchy with universal democratic representation and total independence. Deposed in 1961 during the Belgian-backed coup d'état of Gitarama, he lived in exile in Tanzania, Kenya, and the United States, establishing the King Kigeli V Foundation to fund scholarships and medical relief for Rwandan refugees across the globe until his death in 2016.