King Kigeli died in October, aged 80, in the United States. He had been living in exile in the suburbs of Washington since 1992.
His death prompted a spat between relatives living in America and those in Rwanda over where he should be buried, and a US court ruled last week in favour of those in his home country.
"We are very happy to have him back in his country of birth," said James Vuningoma, executive secretary of the Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture (RALC), who was at the airport when the king's remains arrived.
The council had backed the relatives living in the US, while the government backed the king's half-sister who wanted his remains to be brought to Rwanda.
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Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli came to power in 1959 and was forced to leave the country the following year after clashing with the Belgian colonial power. In 1961, the monarchy was abolished.
The king began a life of exile in east Africa, including Kenya and Uganda, before leaving for America.
However authorities were only willing to have him back as a private citizen.
The exact date and place where the king will be buried has yet to be announced.