The communication department at Rwanda Parliament has confirmed the sudden death of Senator Jean de Dieu Mucyo, who on Monday morning slipped and fell from stairs while on duty at around 9am.

Speaking to The New Times, Senate vice president Jeanne d'Arc Gakuba termed Mucyo's passing a big blow to the legislative body.

In a brief phone interview, she said that Mucyo will be remembered as a patriot and a person who selflessly served his country.

According to her, after the accident at Parliament, Mucyo was rushed to King Faisal Hospital where he later succumbed.

Late Mucyo joined Parliament early last year having been the executive secretary of the Rwanda Commission for the Fight against the Genocide (CNLG).

He was replaced at the commission by then Senator Dr Jean-Damascène Bizimana, whom he later replaced in the Senate.

Prior to that, he was prosecutor-general and before then Minister of Justice. Mucyo has also had a long military career behind him.

He has also led the commission of inquiry that probed the role of France in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw