THE late Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Aloisea Inyumba, who succumbed to cancer last Thursday, will be laid to rest today after a state funeral at the Parliamentary Buildings in Kimihurura.
Inyumba, 48, passed away from her home in Kagugu, a Kigali suburb, two weeks after she returned from a hospital in Germany. She is survived by a husband and two children – a daughter aged 15, and a son 10.
MP Gideon Kayinamura, a relative to the deceased, told The New Times yesterday that the body of the late minister will leave King Faisal Hospital at around 07:30a.m and taken to her home for her family and friends to pay their respects.
Thereafter, at 9:30a.m, the body will be taken to Parliament where it will lie in state.
At Parliament government officials and members of the public will pay their last respects.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the president of the Senate, and a representative of the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, are expected to eulogise the minister.
The Secretary General of the RPF – the party the fallen minister belonged to and served at the top level – Francois Ngarambe, will also deliver a eulogy in honour of Inyumba.
Later, at 11:30a.m, a requiem mass will be held at Christian Life Assembly in Nyarutarama, Gasabo District, before mourners head to Rusororo Public Cemetery for burial, at 2 p.m.
Inyumba, who served as the gender and social affairs minister in the immediate aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and then made a comeback to the Cabinet in May, last year, is specially remembered for her commitment to the wellbeing and empowerment of Rwanda’s women and children.
Her death sent shockwaves across Rwanda and beyond, with many describing her as a heroine, exemplary leader, loving mother and friend. Several personalities in and out of the country sent out online tributes.
Writing on his Twitter page, President Paul Kagame described Inyumba’s death as “a great loss for RPF, nation and all of us at a personal level”.
He said Inyumba was “among the best of RPF and national leaders.”