Tributes from different people from science spheres have poured in for top Rwandan researcher Dr. Jean-Bosco Gahutu who passed on Monday, aged 59. Gahutu, a celebrated researcher and professor of physiology in the School of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Rwanda, will, according to tributes, be remembered for a number of research works he championed, which have gone on to have a lasting impact. For instance, he will be remembered for his research work on bio-fortification of beans through cross-breeding. The research was aimed at assisting people with iron deficiency to have more of such nutrients through beans. Gahutu also served as the head of the Clinical Department of Medical Biology at Butare University Teaching Hospital (CHUB), and as Director of Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda. “We are saddened to announce the loss of our beloved Prof J.B Gahutu who passed away today (Monday). We will always be grateful for his compassion, unwavering commitment & his pivotal role in promoting research. Deepest sympathies to his family during this time of grief,” announced the University of Rwanda on their Twitter account. Born in 1961, Gahutu completed his primary, secondary and medical education in Rwanda. He did PhD studies at the University of Ghent in Belgium from April 1990 to December 1993, then returned to Rwanda in early 1994, just before the genocide against the Tutsi. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Prof. Jean-Bosco Gahutu, a very dedicated and hardworking researcher. May He Rest in Eternal Peace!” wrote Dr. Valentine Uwamariya, the Minister of Education. Among others who paid tribute to Dr. Gahutu is Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, the Director-General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, who described him as the most passionate Professor he ever met. Dr. Magnifique Irakoze, a medical doctor and assistant lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said Dr. Gahutu’s death is a “big loss to the medical fraternity,” adding that many doctors and scientists here in “Rwanda are what they are because of the effort of this man.”
