Goodbye Fred
I first met Fred Byabagabo about 13 years ago in Rwanda and followed his journey keenly as he rose to the top—becoming a partner at ENS Rwanda and one of the country’s leading corporate lawyers. Beyond his legal practice, Fred also shared his knowledge as a law lecturer, leaving a lasting mark on Rwanda’s legal fraternity. Towards the end of 2021, he joined the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) in Nairobi as Senior Counsel. When I arrived at TDB on February 1, 2024, he was the first person I met in the lobby. He greeted me warmly, hugged me, and introduced me to colleagues as 'his brother from another mother.' In that moment, I felt instantly at home. Our offices were next to each other. At times, I couldn’t help but overhear him talking as he could be loud. What stood out to me from these moments was how effortlessly he could discuss complex legal concepts in four languages—English, French, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda. Fred was incredibly...