Minister Inyumba passes away

The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion in the Prime Minister’s Office, Aloisea Inyumba, has passed away, The New Times has learnt. The Government has yet to release details of her death but she had not been seen in public in recent days. She has reportedly been on sick leave.Inyumba, 48, made a comeback to the Cabinet in May last year after serving nearly seven years as a senator. Prior to joining the Upper Chamber of Parliament, Inyumba served as the Prefet of the then then Kigali Ngali prefecture.Earlier, Inyumba was head of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). Prior to that, she had served as the minister of gender, family and social affairs in the immediate aftermath of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. During that period, she oversaw the burial of Genocide victims, the resettlement of returnees, actively promoted truth-telling and reconciliation, and spearheaded a national adoption campaign to place Genocide orphans in homes. Inyumba was instrumental in the establishment of the national women’s network, which helped adjudicate family and property issues resulting from the Genocide. She held an Honors Degree in Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University, Uganda, and an honorary doctorate from La Roche College in the United States. The late Inyumba was a board member of Women for Women International (Washington, DC), and the Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace inKigali. Inyumba has been a respected senior cadre in the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), and is credited for having played a central role in mobilising for the party’s support during the 1990-94 liberation struggle. She is survived by a husband and children.