A tragic story dominated local social media networks this past weekend. Many saw a photo of a light skinned little girl with short hair wearing a pink dress which was captioned ‘Rest In Peace’. Some people immediately concluded she was murdered while others chose to wait for the outcome of an investigation by competent authorities. This was the story of Elsie Akeza Rutiyomba, a five year old girl who apparently drowned in a water tank from a home in Busanza Cell, Kanombe Sector in Kicukiro District. The home where the incident happened belongs to the deceased’s father, and has since been sealed off as a crime scene. Akeza, who was in her first year of primary school, was the only daughter to her mother, Agathe Niragire, who had her out of the wedlock with Florian Rutiyomba. It was in the home of Rutiyomba that Akeza met her untimely death on Friday, January, 14, in the home where he lives with his wife, identified Marie Chantal Mukanzabarushimana. In an exclusive interview with The New Times on Monday, January 17, a maternal aunt to the deceased described her as a playful child like other children but not stubborn. “She loved singing and wanted to be a singer, that is what she spent much of her time doing,” said the aunt, who lived with the deceased for much of the time. She requested to remain anonymous. According to her, Akeza had spent a night at her father’s home after both parents had been together trying to get a school for her. Contrary to stories that made rounds over the weekend, Akeza was not staying with her father. “She had only gone there to visit. She lived with my sister (her mother) and would occasionally visit us.” She added: “It has been only a week since Akeza and her mum moved from Kabeza in Kicukiro district to Nyamata in Bugesera district. On getting there, she failed to get a school for her to continue with her studies in the French system,” her aunt explained. This is when her mother decided to bring her back to Kigali on January 11 and called Rutiyomba, who works in the education sector to help her find a school. Asked about the relationship between Akeza’s parents, the aunt said that they were never married, adding that the child occasionally visited her father and returned to the mother. “Akeza had a sibling on his dads side and I think her stepmom was aware of her before they got married, and sometimes she would go there to visit her dad,” she said. She continued saying that they received a call after the incident though they didnt know exactly what happened to the point of finding her body in a tank. “As you can imagine, it was hard for to take in. It is difficult to buy the accident theory because Akeza used to spend her holidays at my place and our house is storied with multiple stairs. Not even once did she fall, it is then difficult to believe she playfully climbed and fell into the tank,” she said. She however said that as the family, their trust was in the investigative authority to get to the bottom of the tragic incident. Step mother in custody According to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), two suspects have been arrested as investigations continue. The suspects are Akeza’s stepmother Marie Chantal Mukanzabarushimana and Dative Nirere the housemaid, according to Thierry B. Murangira, the spokesperson of RIB. In the interview with The New Times, Murangira said that the duo was arrested after a preliminary investigation. “Crime scene reconstruction revealed that there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the two may have been involved in Akezas death,” Murangira said. Murangira added that Akeza’s body had been taken to the Rwanda Forensic Laboratory for further examination and the suspects are detained at Kanombe RIB station while the investigation continues. Murangira urges people to avoid rumours and wait for the outcome of the investigation. Akeza’s burial ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday on January 18 according to her family members.
