Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge (born 4 August 1977) is a Congolese politician from the former

Katanga Province Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914. It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...

who served as

Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (, , ) is the head of government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Constitution of the Third Republic grants the prime minister a significant amount of power. The post i ...

from 2021 to 2024. He announced his first

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

on 12 April 2021. He is a member of the Future of Congo party. He has been

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

since August 2024.

Biography

Lukonde was born on 4 August 1977, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and is an engineer by training. He is the son of , an important figure in the political scene of his native Katanga who was assassinated in 2001. After being active in politics as a member of the Avenir du Congo (English, ''Future of Congo'') party, and becoming one of the youngest

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

at the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, Lukonde was named Minister of Youth, Sports, and Leisure in December 2014, during the

Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination o ...

Presidency. He served in this position for 10 months, before resigning to support his party in their opposition to Kabila's bid for a third successive term as President. In June 2019, Lukonde became the Director-General of

Gécamines La Générale des Carrières et des Mines (Gécamines) is a Congolese commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Lubumbashi, in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is a state-controlled corporation founded i ...

: one of the largest

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

companies in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, and the biggest in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. He was appointed to this position by

Félix Tshisekedi Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo (; born 13 June 1963) is a Congolese politician who has served as the fifth president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, since 2019. He was the leader of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Demo ...

in June 2019. Prior to this position, he was also deputy general administrator of the Congo National Railway Company. He was named Prime Minister by Tshisekedi in February 2021. He later named his

. On 20 February 2024, Lukonde tendered his resignation to President Tshisikedi after he decided to join the National Assembly as a member from the

Kasenga Territory Kasenga is a territory in the Haut-Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to th ...

, having won the seat during the general election of December 2023. He served as acting prime minister until the installation of a new government led by former planning minister Judith Tuluka on 12 June 2024. On August 12, 2024, Sama Lukonde Kyenge was elected

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

, with 84 votes out of 96.

References

1977 births Living people Prime ministers of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Presidents of the Senate (Democratic Republic of the Congo) People from Paris 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo politicians {{DRCongo-politician-stub