In the evening of Tuesday, March 3, hundreds of mourners gathered at a family home in Rugerero Sector, Rubavu District, to hold a vigil for four members of the same family who died in a road accident on Saturday, February 28, in Rubavu Town.
The tragedy happened when a cargo truck driver had brake failure and hit a Toyota RAV4 killing 11 people in total.
Jean Martin Tuyiringire, 44, died alongside his two daughters and a son. The eldest, Arnold Shimwe, had celebrated his 12th birthday just a week earlier, while Ornella Ishimwe, the second-born, had turned 10 in December. The youngest, Ariella Aganze, was only one-and-a-half years old.
Also in the car were four other relatives: Tuyiringire’s cousin and his daughter, as well as two people from the extended family. Three of them died in the accident. It is only an 11-year-old boy who survived and is currently receiving treatment in Kigali.
The fateful day
On Saturday morning, Tuyiringire, his wife Anita Mukabasenga and their children had attended a service at Gisenyi Seventh Day Adventist Church, locally known as Eglise Mère. After the service, he decided to drive the children home, leaving Mukabasenga behind as she stayed for choir activities.
Moments after setting off, tragedy struck near Gisenyi Hospital when the truck driver lost its control and rammed into their Toyota RAV4 around 1:30PM and 2PM.. The accident claimed 11 lives in total, including a pedestrian and two people who were on a motorbike two people.
At the church where Mukabasenga had remained, the bad news wasn’t known until around 4PM when she received a phone call informing her of the accident.
A choir member who was with her at the church told The New Times that Mukabasenga cried out, "They are dead,” while still on the phone, before attempting to run in shock. People quickly held her back and tried to calm her down.
A very loving family before the tragedy
Tuyiringire was an egg wholesaler in Rubavu town. He was "a man of integrity who loved people and was active in the community,” said the choir member.
"They were a very loving family; everyone could see it.”
Sorrowful wife speaks out
At the vigil, Mukabasenga delivered a message in a pre-recorded video that was played for mourners.
"It is hard to have something to say, but it is necessary,” she began slowly and thoughtfully. "Let us thank God who cares for us day and night. God is wonderful; He is great. May He be glorified.”
"I never imagined this. We were living together as a family, it was almost like heaven on earth. My husband loved me and I loved him. He was more than a spouse; I would almost call him my father. He was a gift. May he rest in peace. I have hope that I will see him again.”
Tuyiringire’s younger brother, Jean Bosco Nzakizwanayo, told mourners that the deceased had taken on a fatherly role after their own father passed away. The family previously lived in Musanze and later settled in Rubavu.
The deceased were laid to rest on Wednesday, March 4, in Rubavu.