President Paul Kagame has paid tribute to former minister Col (rtd) Joseph Karemera, who passed away on October 11, as a man who "worked tirelessly” to build Rwanda.

Kagame, who spoke during a farewell ceremony held at Parliament on Wednesday, October 16, said Keremera’s role in nation building had begun when they were both refugees in Uganda.

"I came to know Karemera in the late 1970s,” Kagame said.

"Karemera was among the first people to come up with the idea of what could be done in order to see Rwandan refugees return home,” Kagame said.

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There were a number of ways that were considered in the late 1970s and early 1980s as Rwandan refugees sought to return home and Karemera was always part of that process, the President said.

"He later served, like all of us, in the Ugandan army, where the idea [to return home] grew, got stronger and attracted more people, be it those who were in Uganda at the time or in neighbouring countries, Congo, Burundi, Tanzania, some were in Kenya while others were farther away in Europe,” Kagame told the mourners during the ceremony attended by First Lady Jeannette Kagame, Karemera’s friends and family, as well as senior military and government officials.

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Karemera became Rwanda’s first Minister of Health after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He also served as Minister of Education, became a Senator and later served as Rwanda’s High Commissioner to South Africa.

Karemera, who had been battling cancer, died at the age of 70.

A medical doctor by training, Karemera was among the founding members of the Rwanda Patriotic Front/ Army (RPA), which liberated Rwanda and stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi.

"When the 1990 Liberation War began, he was there, of course,” Kagame said.

"Although he is no longer alive today, he has witnessed the results of his efforts. He has seen where the county came from and where it is today. That is life, even if people do not get used to it. As people, we want to live but we cannot get used to the fact that life has an end.”

"The most important thing is that, whether you live long or for a short period of time, life is a lesson.”

"These life lessons made Karemera the person he was, from being among those who wanted to solve the problem of Rwandans, both refugees and those who were inside the country because it was a national problem,” Kagame said.

"His role in that made him the person he was at that time, which formed his character. Everyone had a unique character. The good thing about people having unique characters is that there is common ground and the result of that is achievements that are bigger than all of us,” he said.

"For Karemera, we were joined by the ideas to find solutions to problems Rwandans had and once we were in Rwanda, we were joined by the cause of nation building, which continues today. Everyone in their unique character had a role to play,” Kagame said.

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Despite the challenges of the RPF/RPA struggle and other issues that came along the journey of nation building, the President said that Karemera remained committed to the good of the country.

"Karemera – I knew him very well; we knew each other very well – has played a huge role. He worked tirelessly in his capacity, and he collaborated with others as much as he could,” Kagame said.

"We have gone through a lot of battles, some amongst ourselves, some that are external. There have been battles of nation building, battles of and within the RPF. As the RPF grew and as the country got more united, there have been issues from within and mostly from without,” Kagame said.

He noted that Karemera chose to serve the country despite the challenges that came his way.

"I am glad that we are here today to bid farewell to Karemera and even to celebrate his life,” Kagame said. "It shouldn’t be only about mourning, we should also remember his good deeds, and celebrate them.”

The President encouraged the family and friends of Karemera to continue working for the development of the country.