Media & Journalism
Landmark
John Williams Ntwali
1979 – 2023
Rwanda's foremost investigative journalist
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Rwanda Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
He reported on land seizures, torture and the courts when almost nobody else would. He was forty-three when he died, and ninety organisations asked for an independent inquiry into how.
John Williams Ntwali was born at Butare on 7 June 1979. He founded the YouTube news channel PAX TV – IREME News and from 2021 edited the independent newspaper The Chronicles.
His investigative reporting covered human rights, failures of government and the workings of the judiciary, including sustained coverage of the land disputes in Kigali's Kangondo settlement and testimony from activists who said they had been tortured. He died in Kigali on 18 January 2023. The Rwanda National Police said he was killed at about three in the morning when a speeding vehicle struck the motorcycle taxi he was riding; the driver pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and was fined. Human Rights Watch, which called him a lifeline for many victims of human rights violations, questioned that account, and a coalition of ninety civil society and press organisations including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists asked for an independent investigation.
His investigative reporting covered human rights, failures of government and the workings of the judiciary, including sustained coverage of the land disputes in Kigali's Kangondo settlement and testimony from activists who said they had been tortured. He died in Kigali on 18 January 2023. The Rwanda National Police said he was killed at about three in the morning when a speeding vehicle struck the motorcycle taxi he was riding; the driver pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and was fined. Human Rights Watch, which called him a lifeline for many victims of human rights violations, questioned that account, and a coalition of ninety civil society and press organisations including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists asked for an independent investigation.
- Wikipedia — John Williams Ntwali
- Top Africa News — Influential media voices shaping Rwanda's digital future
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will check it.