Meet Diane Shima Rwigara, the Rwandan activist who once expressed interest in running for the Rwandan presidential election.
The Rwandan women’s rights activist and businesswoman competed with Paul Kagame for the presidency in the 2017 presidential election. Although she was later disqualified, Rwigara hoped to be the country’s first female president and first female independent candidate.
Diane Shima Rwigara Biography, Family
Rwigara was born in Kigali in 1981 to a Tutsi family and has three siblings. Her father, Assinapol Rwigara, an industrialist and a key supporter of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), died in a suspected politically motivated murder on February 4, 2015 in Gacuriro, Kigali. Her mother’s name is Adeline Rwigara.
When it comes to her educational background, the young activist attended high school in Belgium and college in California in the United States. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Sacramento State University and a master’s degree in accounting from San Francisco State University. Before returning to Rwanda, she taught at Stanford University in the Department of Linguistics.
Rwigara’s political journey
The controversies surrounding Assinapol Rwigara’s death marked a fresh start for his daughter Rwigara, and she became a fierce critic of Paul Kagame, the country’s president, and the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Adamant and determined as she is, Rwigara took up a struggle against injustice and oppression that she believes has become the norm of the country.
Rwanda’s elections were scheduled for August 4, 2017 and on May 3, she announced her intention to run against Paul Kagame, who has been in power since 2000. Diane Shima Rwigara challenged President Kagame and the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) that they had succeeded in creating an oppressive political environment that allowed dissent within the Central African nation. Kagame has ruled the country with an iron fist since coming to power in 1994 following the genocide of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority.
The young Rwandan patriot expressed reservations about the RPF’s role in the 2015 referendum that gave President Kagame the green light for a third term. The 2015 referendum allows incumbent President Kagame to remain in power until 2034. However, the activist slammed the decision on the grounds that leaders must honorably resign when their terms of office are up for reasons of integrity.
Barely 72 hours after she announced her bid to become the county’s first independent presidential candidate, her nude photos were released by the government, allegedly in an attempt to deter her. But that didn’t stop her. She vowed to fight injustice, promote freedom of expression, eradicate poverty and implement a series of reforms, including opening up the political space and reviewing the issue of deadlines for elected officials.
In a press conference on February 23, 2017 inKigali, Rwigara addressed issues of poverty, injustice and insecurity in the country. She called for Rwandans to respect their right to freedom of expression.
In her manifesto, she said her priorities were eradicating poverty, advocating freedom of speech and providing health insurance for all Rwandans.
Having the US-educated activist compete in Rwanda’s upcoming election is further evidence of the tolerance towards women in Rwandan politics. The East African country is internationally recognized as a leading country for women in politics. With an impressive 64%, Rwanda is the world leader with a proportion of women in national legislation.
On July 7, the National Electoral Commission disqualified her from voting on the grounds that she used forged signatures in her presidential bidand had submitted only 572 valid signatures, while this came as no surprise to most Rwandans, perhaps for the meantime it was the end of the young activist’s political ambitions. She was not only arrested and imprisoned with her mother, but also tortured. Her siblings were not left out, they were also placed under house arrest.
Kagame won the August election with more than 98% of the vote, securing a third term and extending his 17-year term. As of September 1, 2017, news outlets reported that Rwigara still could not be reached and that her family continues to claim that she is missing.
Rwigara married, husband
Miss Rwigara was not married nor is there any information about her love life. The young woman, who thinks age is just a number, has always taken political issues and their impact on her society seriously.
Other facts
- Diane was long declared missing and her whereabouts are still being sought.
- She was reportedly captured by unidentified plainclothes gunmen who held her at gunpoint while the house was searched.
- During her arrest, the young patriot said she was not afraid for her life and was ready to die for the just course.
- Several leaders and members of the opposition Forces Démocratiques Unifiées-Inkingi party were arrested along with Rwigara.
- Rwigara’s father was a key donor to the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the ruling political party now led by Kagame.