Kwibuka31: Kamonyi honors former communes’ staff killed in the Genocide against the Tutsi

Kamonyi District has held a commemoration on the 31st anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsi, specifically honoring those who had once been employees of the communes that were later merged to form Kamonyi District.

The event that took place at the district offices on Thursday, 30 May 2025 was attended by district employees and relatives of the 23 people who had worked in the six former communes—Runda, Taba, Kayenzi, Musambira, Rutobwe, and Mugina—and were killed during the genocide against the Tutsi.

Dr Nahayo Sylvere, mayor of Kamonyi District stated that remembering those who used to work for the communes is one way to acknowledge the country’s history about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

He condemned the fact that some employees killed their own colleagues, people with whom they had worked harmoniously and shared everyday bonds.

“It is heartbreaking that in an administrative office where services are meant to be provided so that citizens can enjoy a decent life, there were plots to kill colleagues. It saddens me further to think that a leader would contemplate taking the life of an employee under his authority, and even more that an employee would take the lead in murdering a fellow staff member.”

Epiphanie Mukaminega, whose father had been a veterinary officer in Taba Commune, spoke about how those employees lived under constant harassment, their hearts perpetually gripped by fear, never knowing if they would survive the next night.

They were treated with contempt in their workplaces until the moment they lost their lives at the hands of their own co-workers, people to whom they had been providing services, she said.

 “Whenever I remember them, I am deeply pained that they never got to see the country that any person dreams of, that they never experienced the good life we now have”, She insisted.

This act of remembrance for former communes’ employees marked the culmination of Kwibuka31 activities. District officials reported that, overall, the commemoration went smoothly, even though there are still signs that some individuals continue to harbor genocidal ideologies and spread hatred.