Rwanda’s Investigation Bureau (RIB) has arrested 18 public officials, including Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) Director General Prof. Emile Bienvenue, over alleged offences linked to the approval and production of substandard alcoholic beverages.
The suspects were presented to the media on Thursday, August 13, at RIB headquarters in Kimihurura, Kigali, as investigations into the manufacture and regulation of non-compliant alcoholic beverages continue.
Ten of those arrested are Rwanda FDA employees. Others include officials from the Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) and local government, including cell executive secretaries.
RIB spokesperson Dr Thierry B. Murangira said the suspects are being investigated for alleged abuse of office for personal gain and complicity in providing a person with something capable of causing death or serious harm to health.
Rwanda FDA chief accused of bypassing technical committee
Dr Murangira said Prof. Bienvenue is specifically accused of issuing a Food Business Operation (FBO) licence to a factory that allegedly failed to meet the required standards and without following the recommendation of the technical committee.
According to RIB, inspectors who visited the factory found several concerns, including a juice-extraction machine that had rust.
Despite the findings, the factory was eventually granted an operating licence.
Dr Murangira said Prof. Bienvenue issued the FBO licence on April 23, 2026, although the technical committee had previously recommended against granting it.
“The technical committee reviewed the inspectors’ report on May 19, 2025, and recommended that the factory should not be granted the licence,” he said.
RIB alleges that the licence was subsequently issued without following that recommendation.
RSB official among those arrested
Another suspect is Mporanzi Samuel, head of the department responsible for issuing national quality certification at RSB.
The arrests come as Rwanda intensifies its crackdown on alcoholic beverages that fail to meet required safety and quality standards.
RIB said its wider investigation into the production and distribution of the products has so far resulted in 104 arrests since the operation began on July 20.
A total of 97 case files have been submitted to prosecution authorities, according to Dr Murangira.
Meanwhile, Rwanda FDA has closed more than 150 factories since August 2 for allegedly producing substandard alcoholic beverages.
The latest arrests mark an expansion of the crackdown beyond manufacturers and traders to officials suspected of failing to properly enforce regulatory and quality-control requirements.
