{"id":2000121055,"date":"2026-07-30T19:12:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000121055"},"modified":"2026-07-30T19:12:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:12:30","slug":"a-mother-figure-and-mentor-senators-and-mps-eulogize-mukabalisa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/a-mother-figure-and-mentor-senators-and-mps-eulogize-mukabalisa\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A mother figure and mentor’: Senators and MPs eulogize Mukabalisa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mukabalisa, who previously served as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, died on Thursday morning at King Faisal Hospital, where she had been receiving medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the announcement of her passing, colleagues who served alongside her in Parliament reflected on her leadership, humility, and commitment to serving the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parliamentarian Musa Fazil Harerimana, who worked closely with Mukabalisa during her time as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies while he served as Deputy Speaker, described her as a symbol of effective leadership and gender equality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to IGIHE, Harerimana said Mukabalisa demonstrated that women are equally capable of leading institutions and bringing people together to make important decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany things can be said about her, but one of the first things I would highlight is that she was a true example of gender equality. The way she led people and guided them in making decisions demonstrated that women are fully capable of effective leadership. There was no difference between a man who leads well and a woman who leads well,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harerimana also praised Mukabalisa\u2019s patience and ability to unite people with different political views, describing such qualities as essential for effective leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe was a very patient person. Leading people with different opinions and political perspectives, bringing them together and helping them find common ground requires patience. That quality was something you could clearly see in her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Mukabalisa was a determined leader who worked tirelessly to achieve goals she believed were beneficial, while respecting the views of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhenever she believed something was right, she would do everything possible to achieve it without disregarding anyone. She would explain her ideas clearly and continue engaging with people until they understood and accepted them. This also reflected her love for the country. Despite the painful history Rwanda went through, she deeply loved Rwanda,\u201d Harerimana said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further described her as a humble leader who valued different opinions, listened carefully, and always sought solutions that brought people together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Uwera Pelagie also expressed her admiration for Mukabalisa, describing her as an inspiration and a person she greatly respected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAccepting this loss has been very difficult because I loved her. She was a wonderful mother figure, a person of wisdom and intelligence. Her achievements speak for themselves, and I wish her eternal rest,\u201d Uwera said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MP Mukabalisa Germaine also described the late senator as a mother figure, saying her passing was a painful loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo me, she was like a mother,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Dr Frank Habineza, leader of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and spokesperson of the Political Parties Forum in Rwanda, also paid tribute to Mukabalisa, with whom he worked for six years in the Chamber of Deputies before continuing their collaboration in the Senate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Habineza described her as a caring mentor, an adviser, and a leader with exceptional problem-solving abilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI saw her as a mother figure with whom we could discuss issues and seek advice. What started as seeing her as my leader eventually developed into seeing her as a sister. She was someone who understood how to work with people and carry out her responsibilities effectively,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that Mukabalisa\u2019s leadership experience enabled her to bring together people with different perspectives and find solutions to complex challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe had great wisdom and experience. She could lead people with different opinions and find ways to unite them. Challenges that appeared difficult became manageable, and problems found solutions. She was a highly skilled leader and a great adviser. Whenever we discussed issues and followed her guidance, her advice always proved valuable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Habineza worked alongside Mukabalisa on the Senate\u2019s Economic Affairs Committee, where they also shared the same office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mukabalisa was born in Nyamata, Bugesera District, in July 1960. Before entering politics, she worked as a law lecturer at the University of Kigali (ULK).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also served with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for 16 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mukabalisa entered Parliament in October 2003 until 2008. From 2011 to 2013, she served as a Senator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2013, she returned to the Chamber of Deputies and was elected Speaker, a position she held until 2024 after completing two terms as provided by law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 19, 2024, Mukabalisa was elected as a Senator representing the coalition of legally recognized political parties in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also served as President of the Liberal Party (PL), which was founded on July 14, 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mukabalisa Donatille served as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies for 11 years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Mukabalisa Donatille has been eulogized as a mother figure and a trusted adviser to colleagues <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Mukabalisa Donatille has passed away after an illness.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Senator Mukabalisa Donatille served as Chairperson of the Liberal Party (PL).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senators and Members of Parliament who worked with the late Senator Mukabalisa Donatille have paid tribute to her, describing her as a dedicated leader, a source of guidance, a mother figure to many, and a role model whose legacy will continue to inspire.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000121056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000121055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-40","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000121056,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":705,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","width":1000,"height":705},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","width":1000,"height":705},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","width":1000,"height":705},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","width":1000,"height":705},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/og-2-2-e59ac.jpg","width":1000,"height":705}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000121055"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000121063,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000121055\/revisions\/2000121063"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000121056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000121055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000121055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000121055"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000121055"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000121055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}