Biography
His Majesty King Kigeli V
Jean Baptiste Ndahindurwa
John Baptiste Ndhindurwa, son of King Yuhi Musinga and of Mukashema was born at Kamembe in Shangugu Territory of Rwanda on June 29th, 1936. When he was 4 years old, his father was exiled by the Belgian government. His family was forced to leave Rwanda and settle in Kitendwe, Azire (County of Marungu in the Moba Territory, of the Katanga Province).
After his father died in 1944, he returned to Kibungo, Rwanda with his mother. There he attended primary school at the Rwamagana Catholic Mission until 1949. He completed his primary education at the Kabgayi Catholic School of the Josephite Brothers in 1950.
From 1950 through 1951, he joined the Groupe Scolaire d’Astrida, the unique Government School of Rwanda and Burundi, where they teach Medical, Veterinary, Agriculture and Administration. He continued his studies from 1952 to 1956 at Nyangezi, the Government School of Zaire.
He worked with the Belgian administration from 1956 to 1958 in the Astrida Territory, and then in 1959 in Bufundu.
On July 27, 1959, upon the death of his brother, King Mutara, Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa came to the throne of Rwanda as King Kigeli V.
In 1961 His Majesty King Kigeli V went to Kinshasa to meet the late Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary General of the United Nations. The Belgian government refused to allow him to return to Rwanda. From 1961 until Rwanda gained independence in 1962, King Kigeli V visited New York and the United Nations many times.
During the pre-independence period, His Majesty visited many African and Middle Eastern countries such as Morocco, Ghana, Tanzania, Algeria, Egypt and Israel. After independence he visited Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Ethopia, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia and France.
During his exile King Kigeli V resided in the following countries:
1961-2 Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania
1963-71 Nairobi, Kenya
1971-9 Kampala, Uganda
1979-92 Nairobi, Kenya
His Majesty King Kigeli V has always found ways to help Rwandese refugees:
n Establishing their refugee status with the Immigration Department
n Representing them in the United Nations
n Finding schools and scholarships for the youth
n Negotiating for the peaceful repatriation of all Rwandese refugees.
In June 1992 His Majesty King Kigeli V arrived in the United States where he was granted political asylum. He has established the Rwandese Refugee Social Welfare Organization (RRSWO). Through this organization he has been able to help Rwandese refugees, especially those in Africa.
Since April 1994, King Kigeli V has been keeping the international community informed about the situation in Rwanda via radio, television, and newspaper interviews. He has been in constant contact with many international agencies and churches, urging them to send immediate relief for all the new refugees from Rwanda.