Family members and former colleagues of deceased Director General of National Rehabilitation Service (NRS), Aimé Bosenibamwe, have eulogised him as a man who loved his family and country.

Bosenibamwe, 52, breathed his last on Saturday, May 23, after succumbing to a short illness, according to a family member.

According to family members, friends and workmates, the former Governor of the Northern Province left behind the legacy of love and care, of hard work and patriotism.

During the years of his work, he served in different portfolios in local government.

From 2009 to 2016, he served as the Governor of the Northern Province before his most recent appointment as the director of NRS.

Jean-Marie Vianney Gatabazi, his successor as the Governor of the Northern Province described the deceased as his comrade and adviser.

"This is bad news sincerely. RIP my comrade Bosenibamwe. You have been a brother, a friend, a colleague, an adviser, an inspiring person for over 15 years,” he said through a tweet. 

Former Prime Minister, Dr. Pierre-Damien Habumuremyi, eulogised Bosenibamwe as a man who was selfless.

"…what matters the most is not the days we spend on the earth, rather what we make out of those days. You (Bosenibamwe) dedicated your days to your country more importantly to the Northern Province,” he tweeted. 

Speaking to The New Times, the Delinquency Prevention Specialist at NRS, Jean-Népo Ngwije, said that the death of Bosenibamwe was ‘a huge loss’ to the country.

"Our former boss was that kind of leader whom everyone liked due to his exceptional zeal towards building the country; he was a real patriot as he would always put the country’s interests before anything else,” he said. "The deceased would always demonstrate strong leadership skills and we thus learnt a lot from him, his death is a huge loss to the community and to the country.”

Family members are preparing his funeral arrangements.

"He (Bosenibamwe) passed away in Karongi District where the NRS was recently moved as part of the government efforts to relocate some parastatals to upcountry. The body was driven back to his matrimonial home in Kigali pending the funeral,” a family member told The New Times. "It is not easy to speak after losing a loving parent who particularly loved his family, his children and the country.” 

About Bosenibamwe

In 1999 he was an agriculture teacher at a high school in former Kibungo Prefecture. He obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture Technology degree from the then Zaїre-based University of Lubumbashi.

Bosenibamwe joined the local government in 2000 as the Executive Secretary of the former Kibungo Prefecture and two years later became the Agriculture Director in Umutara Prefecture.

He served as the mayor of Burera District from the Northern Province for three years (2006-2009), before he was appointed the Governor of the province, replacing Boniface Rucagu.

Bosenibamwe was born in the former Kanama Commune from Gisenyi Prefecture – presently Rubavu District in the Western Province.

He is survived by a wife and five children.