On the morning of October 11, sad news spread across media platforms. Col (rtd) Dr Joseph Karemera who had been for 15 years fighting cancer had succumbed to it. He was 70 years old. He was laid to rest on the October 16. He received a state funeral with the body lying in state in Parliament for government dignitaries to pay their last respects. Eulogies and tributes from family and Unity Club preceded HE the President’s tribute who in a sorrowful tone described the fallen hero’s selfless contribution to Rwanda from the time of armed struggle to state building. The burial took place at Kanombe Heroes cemetery. He joined other gallant sons of Rwanda who left before him. May his soul rest in peace. The whole nation grieves. He was one of our best. A freedom fighter par excellence. We grieve his death, but we also give thanks for his life ...a spirited life unbreakable in its pursuance for freedom and justice. Joseph Karemera was born in 1954 in Mukarange; Kayonza District of Eastern Province . His parents were Barnabas Karihaya and Bertha Nyirashaza. At an early age of eight years his family fled to Uganda during the persecution against the Tutsi at the time. As a refugee youngster he went to Gashojwa Primary school in Nyakivara and in 1969 he joined Gitunga Secondary School in Western Uganda. In his secondary school years, he was a skilful basketball player. In 1986 he joined Makerere University Medical school and earned his medicine degree in 1980. He then left for neighbouring Kenya. At this time, he had been radically politicized and together with other comrades had started mobilization towards the liberation of Rwanda. He was one of the pioneers of RANU (Rwanda Alliance for National Unity), the precursor to RPF. In 1984 he started a post-graduate Master’s specialization program in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Nairobi medical school. In 1985 he left Kenya, returned to Uganda, and joined the National Resistance Army (NRA). He and his comrades henceforth intensified political mobilization of Rwandans in exile towards liberating their motherland. In 1987 he got married to Anna Numutali. From October 1, 1990, when RPA launched the liberation struggle up to the ultimate defeat of the genocidal forces, Karemera was among the first to take up arms, step forward and confront the forces that stood in the way of freedom and justice. He remained at the vanguard in all aspects of the struggle till victory in 1994. During the night vigil at his residence in Rusororo, Dr Emille Rwamasirabo, one of the doctors within the ranks of RPF during the liberation struggle narrated how humbled he felt on visiting the front-line in October 1990. He found Karemera leading a small team of medics faced with a desperate situation. He described how, with no medical supplies and especially no surgical equipment, Karemera and his tight team opted to carry out surgery in the open shade of the bush to wounded soldiers, sometimes rolling over intestines on a disinfected banana leaf and returning them after removal of enemy shrapnel. Dr Rwamasirabo who had recently completed his medical surgery training in a top French medical school said what he witnessed then was simply out of scope of what he knew was possible. He saluted Karemera recalling how under relentless barrage of artillery and rifle fire his medic team would rush to rescue and operate wounded comrades. Karemera inspired many Rwandan youth to join the struggle, to believe in the possibility of victory even when it seemed distant. In times of despair, he was a beacon of hope. When a comrade faltered, Karemera lifted him or her up, reminding them why the fight was on, and urging them to press on. From 1994 he held high level positions in government. He served as Minister for Health and later Minister for Education. He was then appointed Ambassador to South Africa before returning home to become a Senator. Despite his deteriorating health condition, he was still active serving as a member of the National Elders Advisory Forum at the time of his death. Karemera was an institution builder with an enlightened approach and a global perspective. He nurtured a deeply scientific temperament and wanted Rwandans to imbibe this spirit. He founded Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and sent hundreds of students to India, USA, and South Africa. Many have come back and are significantly contributing to our national development. Karemera was an energetic and spirited personality with boundless energy. All this inspired many around him to be better and not give up. In the darkest of times, his laughter and humour would lighten the burden of the situation and lift everyone’s spirits. He had zest for life and spending time with him made you feel truly lively in the moment. The honours, accolades, and titles aside, Karemera was a friend to many and I am privileged to be one of them. We first met in July 1978. In Kampala there is a valley between Makerere hill (where Makerere University stands) and Mulago hill where Mulago hospital is found. Between the two hills traverses a road from Wandegeya to Kawempe. Medical students going for classes cross this road daily along a wide footpath that ascends the gentle slope to Mulago hospital. It is along this path that I met Joseph in August 1978. I was going to Mulago for medical treatment, and he was returning from class at the hospital. I was a freshman staying in Livingstone Hall and had only been two weeks. He was in his third year of medical school and quite accomplished. He came facing me from the opposite direction. He was smartly dressed in a striped necktie. He had his doctor’s white coat over his shoulder and the stethoscope hanging over the neck. He looked smart, confident, and sophisticated. As we got close to each other he stepped directly in front of me and looking in my eyes he said: Uraho sha! greeting me in Kinyarwanda. He asked me what I was studying and my Hall of residence. We chatted for a while and before parting he gave me his room number in Northcote Hall and asked me to come visit over the weekend. The following weekend I went to visit him and from then on, our friendship blossomed. We developed a brotherly relationship, and he acted like the bigger brother. After Makerere, our friendship continued in Kenya when I joined him there in 1982 and it was during this period that he enlisted me into RANU. We were later to meet again in January 1991 when I left Kenya and joined the struggle as a cadre. To me, he was more than a comrade in the struggle. He was a trusted confident, a source of strength and a person who showed that in the times of great struggle and pain there is room for kindness, laughter, and love. Karemera’s life positively impacted on many peoples’ lives. Across the battlefields for freedom that he crossed or in the halls of state-building, Karemera was a leader you could trust. He inspired with words and deeds. He was a patriot who served his people with distinction and never strayed from his roots. Those of us who shared part of his life shall remain proud to have known him. Having departed to join the best of our heroes who went before him, he leaves behind a legacy to emulate. His struggles, his life, and his story, is our legacy deserving a place in our chronicles. Karemera has left a widow; his life-long companion Anna Karemera Numutali, seven children and several grandchildren. Rest in peace my friend. Till we meet again.
