Denise Bucumi-Nkurunziza (born 1 December 1969) is a

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

ordained minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church body, church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spir ...

who was

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of Burundi from 2005 to 2020 as the wife of

Pierre Nkurunziza Pierre Nkurunziza (18 December 19648 June 2020) was a Burundian politician who served as the ninth president of Burundi for almost 15 years from August 2005 until his death in June 2020. A member of the Hutu ethnic group, Nkurunziza taught ph ...

. She is the only

who has served as a first lady of any African nation. Denise Bucumi-Nkurunziza was born in Gatsinda, Mwumba in

Ngozi Province Ngozi Province is one of the 18 provinces of Burundi. The name Ngozi stands for ''blessing''. Communes It is divided administratively into the following communes: * Commune of Busiga * Commune of Gashikanwa * Commune of Kiremba * Commune of ...

on 1 December 1969. She married Pierre Nkurunziza in 1994 shortly before Nkurunziza was forced to go into hiding in the early stages of the

Burundian Civil War The Burundian Civil War was a civil war in Burundi lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of longstanding ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi ethnic groups. The conflict began following the first multi-party election ...

. He subsequently entered the rebel

National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy The National Council for the Defense of DemocracyForces for the Defense of Democracy (french: Conseil National Pour la Défense de la DémocratieForces pour la Défense de la Démocratie, CNDD–FDD) is the major political party in Burundi. Durin ...

(''Conseil National Pour la Défense de la Démocratie – Forces pour la Défense de la Démocratie'', CNDD–FDD) and rose though its ranks. A series of agreements in 2003 paved the way for the CNDD–FDD to be reintegrated into politics. Bucumi-Nkurunziza was reunited with her husband after several years of separation. Both Bucumi-Nkurunziza and her husband were

born-again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...

s and

Evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

s. Bucumi-Nkurunziza became an ordained minister and was involved in charitable activities under her foundation Buntu as First Lady. She authored an autobiography, published with

L'Harmattan Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in W ...

. The couple had six children. On the morning of 28 May 2020, she was airlifted to

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

to be treated for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi The COVID-19 pandemic in Burundi is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Burundi on 25 March 2020. B ...

at Aga Khan University Hospital. Her husband died on 8 June 2020 in

Karuzi Karuzi is a city located in eastern Burundi. It is the capital city of Karuzi Province. On 8 June 2020, Burundian president Pierre Nkurunziza died in Karuzi from cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stop ...

. Although the cause of death was stated to be a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, it was widely suspected that he had died of COVID-19.

Authography

*''The Power of Hope: The First Lady of Burundi. My Story'' (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2013).

References

Living people 1969 births First Ladies and Gentlemen of Burundi Burundian Christian clergy Burundian Christians People from Ngozi Province {{Burundi-politician-stub