Bujumbura : Journalist Kenny Claude Nduwimana violently attacked near his home

SOS Médias Burundi

Bujumbura, September 13, 2026—Journalist Kenny Claude Nduwimana was violently attacked Sunday evening near his home in the Buterere zone, north of the commercial capital, Bujumbura. Three young men were involved in the attack, according to information gathered by SOS Médias Burundi.

Visitors had come to the journalist’s home. Upon their departure, Kenny Claude Nduwimana and his wife accompanied them to the roadside so they could take a taxi. On their way back, three young men who were waiting for them attacked them.

According to photos obtained by SOS Médias Burundi, Kenny Claude Nduwimana was injured above his left eye. The assailants struck him violently on the head with a plank, near his face.

After the attack, the three men remained in the vicinity, according to the journalist and his family.

With the help of neighbors, Kenny Claude Nduwimana alerted the police chief in the Buterere zone. The chief reportedly told him he would dispatch officers to arrest the assailants. However, no police intervention occurred while the men were still nearby, according to the journalist and his family. The police chief then allegedly turned off his phone.

The journalist was taken to a health facility in Bujumbura, where he received treatment before returning home.

Questions about the lack of police intervention

The lack of police intervention while the assailants were, according to the journalist and his family, still in the area raises questions.

Why didn’t the police chief, alerted at the time of the incident, dispatch his officers to try to apprehend the attackers?

Kenny Claude Nduwimana’s family also claims to have been subjected to harassment for several days, without knowing the origin or reasons for this pressure.

The journalist’s relatives are demanding that the circumstances of the attack be established, that the perpetrators be identified, and that responsibility be determined.

A journalist whose career has been marked by arrests

Kenny Claude Nduwimana, a journalist at Jayce TV, is known for his productions on sensitive topics. His professional career has been marked by several arrests.

In 2021, he was arrested several times. On October 3, 2023, he was arrested again at his home in Buterere, after a search conducted by about fifteen police officers. The authorities accused him, in particular, of collaborating with social media influencers and interfering in the work of local authorities.

In May 2024, the journalist appeared before the Mukaza First Instance Court in a case where he was prosecuted for, among other things, “undermining state security, insulting public officials, and disseminating false information.”

Police Colonel Alfred Innocent Museremu, the current Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council (CNS), also filed a complaint in this case. He was presented at the time as the former head of domestic intelligence at the National Intelligence Service (SNR).

On August 26, 2024, Kenny Claude Nduwimana was sentenced to eight months in prison after having already spent ten months in pretrial detention. Despite the expiration of his sentence, he remained detained at Mpimba Central Prison in the commercial capital, Bujumbura. The National Independent Human Rights Commission (CNIDH) had denounced his continued detention.

In May 2025, the Bujumbura Court of Appeal reopened his case despite the expiration of the appeal period. The journalist denounced what he called “judicial manipulation.” He believed, in particular, that his legal troubles were linked to his journalistic work, specifically his reporting on alleged cases of land grabbing.

In October 2025, he was transferred from Mpimba Central Prison to the SNR (National Intelligence Service) detention center, causing concern among his family, who said they were having difficulty getting news of him.

Kenny Claude Nduwimana was finally released on March 4, 2026, after more than two years of detention. His release came after a request for presidential pardon.

This Sunday’s attack therefore occurred six months after his release. At this stage, however, there is no evidence to establish a link between this attack and his criminal record or his work as a journalist.