Speaking at a gala attended by leaders and members of the Unity Club Intwararumuri on November 8, 2025, President Kagame said he had hoped all three of his sons would join the RDF, but his eldest, Ivan Cyomoro Kagame, chose instead to pursue business and investment.
"Once they grew up, I told them my wishes, and they accepted, but one of them refused. He told me, 'This is not how I want to be.' I told him, 'Do what you want. If you don't want to join, that's your choice.' I asked, 'What do you want to do?' and he said, 'I want to make money.' He added, 'When I finish studying, I will go into business,'" President Kagame revealed.
"Afterwards, he told me, 'You and the other young men, my younger siblings, because by that time you'll be pursuing other things, I will take care of you. I want to take care of you. Let me do that, and you do what you want,'" he added.
Brian Kagame, the youngest son of President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, joined the RDF on October 3, 2025, after completing military training at the Sandhurst Military Academy in the United Kingdom. He followed in the footsteps of his older brother, Capt. Ian Kagame, who currently serves in the Republican Guard elite unit responsible for protecting the President and other top state leaders.
President Kagame said he had advised his sons to finish Master's degrees before joining the military, but both insisted on starting their military careers earlier. He emphasised that every child should have the right to pursue their own aspirations.
'Any Rwandan child, including mine, should be able to become what they want or do what they want to do,' he said.
On the subject of his daughter, Ange Kagame, and rumours about her being prepared for the presidency, the President affirmed that his daughter's future will be guided by her own ambitions.
'I saw on social media that people say I am preparing my daughter to lead the country. But who prepared me? I wasn't prepared by my father,' he said. 'My children are Rwandans like any other, and they will live their lives like everyone else.'
President Kagame added that he cannot choose who becomes President, and the daughter in question may not even desire such a role.
President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame have been blessed with four children: three sons and a daughter.
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