He died in September 1895, during an expedition in modern-day Congo, shortly after the arrival of the German explorer Count Gustav Adolf von Götzen.

By the end of Rwabugiri's rule, Rwanda was divided into a standardized structure of provinces, districts, hills, and neighborhoods, administered by a hierarchy of chiefs.

Some Rwandans see him as the last true King of Rwanda due to the tragic assassination of his successor Rutarindwa and coup by his stepmother Kanjogera who installed her son Musinga.

[9] Colonial literature has it that the kingdom of Rwanda was originally occupied by a number of Bantu chieftainships which were conglomerated during the 10th century by Tutsi pastoralists from the North who brought ideas of a political society.

This surplus would then be distributed by the king's order to the poorest citizens in exchange for their labor [10] Ethnicity became an important factor during the period of state expansion that began in the late 19th century.

Previously, they had mostly been local chieftains who were now finding themselves as part of a complex network that allowed the Mwami to build national cohesion in newly acquired regions.

During this period, there was an increase in the long-standing traditions of ubuhake and ubureetwa, a practice of vassalage under which labor and resources are exchanged for political favor.

Many of the lands that Rwabugiri had annexed, such as Bugoyi, Bwishaza and Kingogo in the east had no previous contact with Tutsi pastoralists and had been entirely inhabited by Hutu.

As such, the Bega clan was in a unique position after the death of Kigeli IV to change the status quo and assume power.