Rwanda Football Federation president Fabrice Shema Ngoga has resigned with immediate effect, bringing his 13-month tenure at the helm of Rwandan football to an abrupt end.
Shema communicated his decision in a letter dated September 29, 2026, addressed to the FERWAFA General Assembly Bonny Mugabe, saying an integrity matter involving him had made his continued leadership untenable.
His resignation comes days after a Rwandan court approved a plea agreement arising from a case involving cheques issued without sufficient funds and fraudulently obtaining another person’s property.
“I hereby submit my resignation from my position as President of the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA), with immediate effect,” Shema wrote.
“This decision follows the integrity issue that has arisen in connection with my personality.”
Shema said leaving office was necessary to protect FERWAFA’s credibility and allow the relevant processes to proceed independently.
“I believe that stepping down is the most responsible course of action to protect the credibility of the Federation, uphold public confidence, and allow the relevant processes to proceed independently and without distraction,” he said.
However, Shema cautioned against drawing conclusions from his resignation beyond the facts established through the appropriate procedures.
Arrest and court case
Shema’s troubles became public after he was arrested by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau in August over allegations arising from private business dealings rather than his activities at FERWAFA.
The Rwanda Investigation Bureau had specifically said the case was unrelated to his work as federation president.
On September 2, the Nyarugenge Primary Court ordered him into provisional detention for 30 days while investigations continued into allegations that included issuing cheques without sufficient funds and fraudulently obtaining another person’s property.
Shema appealed the detention order, but proceedings subsequently shifted after his lawyers informed the court that an agreement had been reached with prosecutors.
According to reports on the proceedings, the case concerned cheques worth $600,000 arising from a business transaction involving Africa Medical Supplier and ABZL International General Trading LLC.
A court subsequently approved the plea agreement under which Shema admitted the charges and paid the $600,000 covered by the cheques.
He received a six-month prison sentence suspended for one year and was released from provisional detention.
The sequence of events left questions over whether he would continue leading FERWAFA, which were answered by Monday’s resignation.
Presidency ends barely a year into four-year mandate
Shema’s departure comes barely 13 months after he was elected to a four-year term on August 30, 2025.
The businessman and former AS Kigali president entered the FERWAFA election as the sole candidate and secured 51 of the 53 votes cast at the General Assembly at Kigali Serena Hotel.
He had previously spent about six years at AS Kigali, having taken over the club’s presidency in 2019. His tenure included Peace Cup successes in 2019 and 2022.
Shortly after becoming FERWAFA president, Shema met FIFA president Gianni Infantino in Rabat, where discussions centred on Rwanda’s football development programme, infrastructure and governance.
His influence had also extended into regional football administration. In February 2026, Shema was elected to the CECAFA Executive Committee during the regional body’s Elective General Assembly in Djibouti.
That means his resignation raises a separate question over his position on the CECAFA Executive Committee, with no announcement located yet indicating whether he will retain that role.
Shema promises smooth handover
In his resignation letter, Shema maintained that he remained committed to accountability, transparency and good governance in Rwandan football.
He also promised to facilitate the transition to FERWAFA’s next leadership.
“I will support the handover of responsibilities to ensure continuity in the Federation’s work,” he said.
Shema thanked the General Assembly, Executive Committee, FERWAFA staff, partners, supporters, fans and the Amavubi national team for their support during his tenure.
“It has been an honour to serve Rwandan football,” he concluded.
The resignation letter was copied to the presidents of FIFA, CAF and CECAFA, formally putting football’s international, continental and regional governing bodies on notice of the leadership change.
FERWAFA’s current executive structure includes Claudine Gasarabwe as First Vice President in charge of Administration and Finance and Richard Mugisha as Second Vice President in charge of technical matters.
Attention now turns to FERWAFA’s statutes and the process through which the federation will manage the vacancy and determine its next president.