Ex-senator Zephyrin Kalimba was laid to rest on Thursday, January 6. The 62-year-old passed on Sunday night, January 2, at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali due to an illness. Kalimba served in the senate for eight years from 2012 to 2020. His funeral ceremony started in the morning as his friends and families collected his body from King Faisal Hospital, taking it to his home in Gikondo Segemu where they paid their last respects to him. This was followed by a religious mass at Saint Vicent Palotti Catholic Parish in Gikondo, before the mourners proceeded to Rusororo public cemetery where he was laid to rest at about 2 pm. Kalimba’s funeral was attended by a number of dignitaries including those that served with him in the senator and others who worked with him in the civil society. Speaking to those who attended the burial, Kalimba’s widow described the deceased as a patient man, one who loved his family and cherished prayer. “We have been together for 27 years. Though he had a lot of work and was always traveling, he never forgot to be close to his family,” she said. “He was a man of few words and was patient amid problems. He respected me and I respected him as a husband and wife who aimed at building a family in the right way. He loved people and loved prayer, that is why we built a chapel at home,” she added. Augustine Iyamuremye, the President of the Senate, one of the dignitaries that spoke during the ceremony said Kalimba was an exceptional person, recognised by President Kagame himself, as he appointed him for the senate in 2012. “Some senators are chosen by the citizens or political parties. However, there are some others that are appointed by the President of the Republic, and Kalimba was one of those. As you can imagine, the president does not pick just anyone,” he noted. A number of foreign-based individuals with whom Kalimba worked in his efforts of assisting vulnerable communities virtually attended the funeral ceremony and gave speeches. Peninah Zaninka, the Coordinator of the United Organisation for historically marginalized people in Uganda expressed gratitude to the deceased for the assistance he gave to the Batwa community in the neighbouring country. “At a time like this, it is not easy to speak about a person like Kalimba. I just want to thank him in a special way, for his heart and dedication. He supported our organisation by connecting us with sponsors from the Forest Peoples Programme. His aim was to help our community make progress and we really appreciate that,” she said. Before joining the senate, Kalimba worked with several organisations defending human rights and welfare, especially for the historically marginalized, a cause that he carried on with even when he became a senator. Vital Bambaze, a Burundian national who is the Secretary General of the Union for the Promotion of the Batwa (UNIPROBA), an organisation that works to promote the social and economic progress of such communities in Central African countries said Kalimba was a friendly person who could not fail to live in any place. Kalimba served in various positions both in the pre and post genocide Rwanda. Here, among others, from 1978, he worked in the former Gendarmerie (Police) for 4 years and 8 months, before joining the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Later on, he started his journey of working in the civil society, where he established several human rights organisations. In 1997, he served as the regional coordinator of the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests. He also conducted research on behalf of the Africa Human Rights Commission, particularly on indigenous communities in Africa.
