Shema Ngoga Fabrice has resigned as President of the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA), a position he had held for only 13 months.
In a letter dated September 29, 2026, which reached members of the FERWAFA General Assembly at around 12:30 a.m. on September 30, Shema announced that his resignation would take immediate effect.
he said: “I have submitted my resignation from the position of President of the Rwanda Football Federation, effective immediately. This decision was taken in good faith and is based on personal considerations related to my conduct.” “I believe that stepping down is the most important action to protect the integrity of the federation, maintain the trust that people have in it, and allow other activities to continue smoothly without any disruption.”
Shema added that he wished the federation’s leadership continued success in operating transparently. He also said he was ready to facilitate a smooth handover to ensure FERWAFA’s activities continued effectively.
He thanked the General Assembly that elected him, the Executive Committee he worked with, other football officials, partners, the national team, fans and everyone who had placed their trust in him.
ALSO READ: https://agaciropress.com/rwanda-and-kenya-strengthen-cooperation-in-governance-and-public-service/
Legal Proceedings Preceded Shema’s Resignation
Shema stepped down after spending about a month and a half facing legal proceedings related to his business activities outside football. He had been charged with issuing dishonoured cheques and obtaining another person’s property through fraud. The alleged offences were linked to his medical equipment business operated through Africa Medical Supplier.
On September 22, 2026, the Nyarugenge Primary Court ordered his release after accepting a plea agreement he had reached with the prosecution.
Under the agreement submitted to the court, the prosecution stated that Shema had made the required payments and requested a sentence of six months in prison, suspended for one year, alongside a fine of Rwf3 million.
FERWAFA’s regulations and eligibility requirements for candidates seeking to lead the federation stipulate that a person serving in its leadership must “never have been convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than six months in prison.” The sentence he received therefore affected his eligibility to continue serving in the position.
ALSO READ: https://agaciropress.com/rwanda-elected-to-lead-g77-and-china-in-2027/
Shema’s Financial Plans for Rwandan Football
Shema entered football leadership with a strong focus on securing financial resources for clubs and helping them achieve financial sustainability. One of his initial priorities was to increase prize money for high-performing teams.
During his first year in office, the Rwanda Premier League champions received Rwf80 million, while eight teams received prize money. The team finishing eighth received Rwf10 million. In total, Rwf484 million was distributed as prize money during his first year.
During his tenure, Shema also played a role in identifying quality players based abroad to strengthen Rwanda’s national team, the Amavubi, and facilitating the team’s training camp in Egypt.
However, he leaves office without achieving his stated ambitions of guiding Rwanda to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, a tournament the country last reached in 2004, and qualifying for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Claudine Gasarabwe Leads FERWAFA on Interim Basis
FERWAFA is currently being led on an interim basis by lawyer Claudine Gasarabwe, who previously served as First Vice President in charge of Finance and Administration.
