A small shrew with a blackish back and a slightly paler greyish-brown underside, it is recorded in swamps, mountain forests, and moist scrub.
Head-and-body length is 45–65 mm, tail length 47–63 mm, and body mass 3–6 g. The tail is approximately as long as the head and body.
It is recorded in swamps, montane forest, and moist bushy vegetation.
In Rwanda, one specimen was recorded at the forest edge at Kitabi in Nyungwe before 2009.
The ears are dark grey with fine short hairs, the eyes are very small, and the feet are brownish.
The tail bears very short bristles and is dark, similar in colour to the back.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.