Aloisea Inyumba (28 December 1964 – 6 December 2012) was a

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

n politician, who was the country's Minister for Gender and Family Promotion and as executive secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission. While studying social work and social administration at

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, she joined the

Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF–Inkotanyi; , FPR) is the ruling political party in Rwanda. The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revo ...

. The eulogy at her funeral was given by President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

Early life

Aloisea Inyumba was born on 28 December 1964 in

, to Rwandan born parents. She was born in the aftermath of the 1959

Rwandan Revolution The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of Destruction (), was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to 1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda. The ...

, which saw the creation of a republic dominated by the majority

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great L ...

, and persecution of the minority

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

. While her parents were still living in Rwanda, and before she was born, her father was killed in a massacre of Tutsi; her mother escaped with her five siblings and the family fled to the safety of Uganda. Inyumba lived her childhood in Uganda, completing her schooling there, and then proceeded to

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

, to study for a degree in social work and social administration. In 1985, she had her first meeting with

, another Rwandan refugee who was at the time serving in the rebel army of

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...

. One year later, Museveni took control of the country and promoted Kagame and fellow Rwandan Fred Rwigyema to officers in the country's national army. Kagame and Rwigyema took these positions, but their ultimate goal was to return with force to their own country, in order to facilitate the return of the refugees. Kagame and Rwigyema joined and took over the

, a Rwandan liberation organisation, and Inyumba joined as well.

Political career

After the RPF military victory in July 1994, Inyumba was appointed into the newly formed transitional government. This government was headed by President

Pasteur Bizimungu Pasteur Bizimungu (born April 1950) is a Rwandan politician who served as the third President of Rwanda, holding office from 19 July 1994 until 23 March 2000. Bizimungu had previously held several positions under President Juvenal Habyarimana ...

, but the country was ''de facto'' led by

. She was appointed to the post of Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, and began a concerted programme to involve women in the rebuilding of Rwanda. In 2011, she was re-appointed to her previous role of Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, a role she held until her death in 2012.

Personal life and death

Inyumba was married to Dr Richard Masozera, who is the former Director-General of

Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA, , ) is the civil aviation authority of Rwanda. Its headquarters are at Kigali International Airport in Kigali. The authority was established as the Civil Aviation Authority by Law No. 21/2004 of 10/08/2004 ...

(RCAA). The pair began dating when they were both students at

in Kampala. They had two children, a girl and a boy. Inyumba died on 6 December 2012 at her home in

Kigali Kigali () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relativ ...

. She had been suffering from throat cancer, and had recently returned home after seeking treatment in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Inyumba was granted a state funeral at the

Parliament of Rwanda The Parliament of Rwanda ( French: ''Parlement du Rwanda''; Kinyarwanda: ''Inteko Ishinga Amategeko y’u Rwanda'') has consisted of two chambers since 2003: *The Senate (French: ''Sénat''; Kinyarwanda: ''Sena'') ( Upper Chamber) *The Chamber ...

building in Kigali and her eulogy was delivered by the country's president,

. Kagame described her as a selfless leader who was "a very good cadre and ideologically clear". Other speakers at the funeral included Cabinet Affairs minister Protais Musoni and the vice-governor of the

National Bank of Rwanda The National Bank of Rwanda (, ) is the central bank of Rwanda. The bank was founded in 1964. The current governor of the bank is Soraya Munyana Hakuziyaremye. Location It is quartered at the National Bank of Rwanda Building, on KN6 Avenue in ...

Monique Nsanzabaganwa Monique Nsanzabaganwa is a Rwanda economist, politician and diplomat, who served as the vice-chairperson of the African Union Commission from 2021 to 2025. Before that, between 2011 and 2021, she served as the deputy governor of the National Bank ...

References

Cited works

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External links