Michel Kayihura (1924–2003) was a Rwandan politician and veterinarian.

Early life

Michel Kayihura was born in 1924. The son of Chief Jean-Berchmans Manzi, he was a member of the Banyiginya clan and the Bakobwa lineage and was ethnically

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

. He was a younger brother of

Jean-Baptiste Gahamanyi Jean-Baptiste is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was King o ...

, who served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Butare from 1962 to 1997. Kayiruha enrolled at the Groupe Scolaire d'Astrida in 1936. After completing his basic studies in 1940 he began studying veterinary science. On 30 December 1942 he graduated at the top of his class with a diploma in veterinary science. In February 1943 he began work at the Kisenyi veterinary laboratory. He married Véronique Nyirakaragwe and had ten children with her.

Political career

In July 1944 Kayihura was appointed Chief of Nyaruguru. He held this office until 1954, when he became Chief of Bugoyi. He was a close confidant of

Mwami ''Mwami'' () is an honorific title common in parts of Central and East Africa. The title means ''chief'' or ''tribal chief'' in several Bantu languages. It was historically used by kings in several African nations, and is still used for traditi ...

of Rwanda

Mutara III Rudahigwa Mutara III Rudahigwa (March 1911 – 25 July 1959) was King ('' umwami'') of Rwanda between 1931 and 1959. He was the first Rwandan king to be baptised, and Roman Catholicism took hold in Rwanda during his reign. His Christian names were C ...

and accompanied him on his trip to Belgium in 1949. Kayihura also served as vice president of the Conseil Superior du Pays of Ruanda. He became a vice president of the

Rwandese National Union The Rwandese National Union (french: Union nationale rwandaise, UNAR) was a conservative, pro-monarchy political party in Rwanda. History Union Nationale Rwandaise (Rwandese National Union), or UNAR, was a conservative Rwandan political party. ...

(UNAR), an anticolonial political party, after its formation in 1959 and served as a leader of its progressive faction. In October, Governor

Jean-Paul Harroy Jean-Paul Harroy (4 May 1909 – 8 July 1995) was a Belgian colonial civil servant who served as the last Governor and only Resident-General of Ruanda-Urundi. His term coincided with the Rwandan Revolution and the assassination of the popular Bur ...

of Ruanda-Urundi attempted to transfer Kayihura from his chiefdom to head off political disorder. Kayihura and two other chiefs who had been reassigned resisted the move and refused to leave their jurisdictions. He was opposed to

André Perraudin Archbishop André Perraudin, M. Afr. (7 October 1914 - 25 April 2003) was a Swiss Catholic clergyman who lived in Rwanda for nearly fifty years. He was Archbishop of Kabgayi from 1959 to 1989. Career André Perraudin was born on 7 October 1914 i ...

's prominent role in the Rwandan Catholic hierarchy. Kayihura fled Ruanda in 1959 and went to Kenya, where he eventually obtained a doctorate in veterinary science. The UNAR restorationists formed a government-in-exile shortly before Rwanda's independence, with

François Rukeba François Rukeba (born 23 April 1912) was a Rwandan politician and rebel leader. Early life François Rukeba was born on 23 April 1912 in Murehe, Ruanda-Urundi. He was considered ethnically Hutu by most Rwandans, though he was of mixed origins. ...

as Prime Minister. Upset by these developments, Kayihura went to the Congo. Internal disagreements led to a reforming of the government-in-exile in May 1963 with Kayihura as Prime Minister. By late 1964 the government was under a new prime minister but, undermined by internal disagreement and disorganisation, had mostly ceased to exist. Kayihura founded a rebel group, the Rwandese Liberation Front, and spent most of his time traveling between

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

and

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

to win foreign support for it.

Later life

Kayihura returned to Rwanda after the 1994

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

. He died in 2003.

References

Works cited

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kayihura, Michel 1924 births 2003 deaths Tutsi people African veterinarians Rwandese National Union politicians Tribal chiefs