Synodontis ruandae is a species of upside-down catfish native to Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania where it is found in the Kagera River system.

[2] It was first described by Belgian ichthyologist Hubert Matthes in 1959, based upon holotypes discovered in the Kagera River at Rusumo, Rwanda.

[3] The specific name "ruandae" is derived from its type locality, Rwanda.

Like other members of the genus, this fish has a humeral process, which is a bony spike that is attached to a hardened head cap on the fish and can be seen extending beyond the gill opening.

[2][4] Due to a decline in vegetation around the edges of lakes and rivers as a result of agricultural expansion, the species is listed as vulnerable.