Paul Kagame Highest-Paid Political figure in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Kigali
  • Last updated on

Paul Kagame
Paul Kagame led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid political figures” released on Monday.
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It's been a rough year for the political figure, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 68-year-old Paul Kagame has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid political figures for 2026 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 24/02/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Paul Kagame tops annual list of highest-paid political figures

In 2023 it looked like the political figure’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Monday (February 23) that Kagame is the highest-paid political figure in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between January 2025 and January 2026, a nearly $60 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Rwandan political figure has an estimated net worth of $275 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Kagame Burger” chain) in Kigali, a Football Team (the “Tambwe Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderkagame - Rwanda), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Paul) and a fashion line called “Paul Kagame Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Paul fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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