Aimable Karasira Uzaramba, a former university lecturer, hip-hop artist, and outspoken government critic popularly known as “Professor Nigga,” died on Wednesday evening just hours before he was due to be released from prison after completing a five-year sentence.
The Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) confirmed his death in a statement, saying Karasira became critically ill after allegedly taking an excessive quantity of medication prescribed for a pre-existing medical condition.
According to RCS, Karasira was rushed from Kigali Prison to Nyarugenge Hospital in Kigali after prison authorities noticed his deteriorating condition.
“The inmate was found to have taken medication beyond the prescribed dosage for an illness he had been undergoing treatment for,” an RCS spokesperson Hillary Sengabo said in a statement.
“He was immediately transferred to hospital for urgent medical care, but unfortunately passed away. We are awaiting the doctors’ report to determine the exact cause of death.”
Karasira, 48, had been expected to walk free on Wednesday after serving a sentence linked to comments he made on YouTube and other online platforms criticizing the Rwandan government.
A forme lecturer at the University of Rwanda, Karasira became widely known among students and online audiences for his outspoken political commentary and his music career under the stage name “Professor Nigga.”
His arrest in May 2021 drew widespread public attention both inside and outside Rwanda.
In September last year, a Rwandan court sentenced him to five years in prison after convicting him of inciting divisions within the population.
However, the court acquitted him on several other charges brought by prosecutors, including genocide denial, genocide minimization, and inciting public disorder.
News of his death spread rapidly on social media, with many Rwandans expressing shock that he died only hours before the completion of his sentence.
His lawyer had not commented publicly by Thursday morning, and authorities said further details would be released once medical investigations are completed.