Marguerite Bukuru | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Social Action, Human Rights and Women's Empowerment | |
| Minister of Public Service | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-02-12)12 February 1955 Gisagara-Gasunu, Ruanda-Urundi |
| Died | 26 August 2023(2023-08-26) (aged 68) Nairobi, Kenya |
| Alma mater | University of Burundi |
| Occupation |
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Marguerite Bukuru (12 February 1955 – 26 August 2023) was a Burundian politician and civil servant who served asMinister of Social Action, Human Rights and Women's Empowerment andMinister of Public Service. She worked as aUnited Nations official, as well as a court of appeals judge.
Bukuru was born on 12 February 1955, inGisagara-Gasunu in theCommune of Giheta.[1] Her parents encouraged her to get an education in defiance of Burundian social norms, and she even served as a class delegate in school.[1] She then attended theUniversity of Burundi Faculty of Law and presented her thesisThe Rights and Obligations of Marriage in Burundian Civil Law.[1] During the late-1970s, she worked as a teacher at primary and secondary schools.[1]
Bukuru worked as a legal advisor for Minister for Women's QuestionsEuphrasie Kandeke, where she worked to find discriminatory laws to amend and became inspired to engage in women's rights.[2] After being appointed director-general of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, she was eventually appointedMinister of Social Action, Human Rights and Women's Empowerment.[1] She also served asMinister of Public Service, and she was a magistrate judge before serving in the Ngozi Court of Appeal.[1]
Bukuru also worked as a United Nations official, including as a human rights officer for several United Nations peacekeeping missions, includingMINUSCA, theUnited Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire, and theUnited Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur.[1] Other UN duties she was involved in was consultancy in justice-related areas such astransitional justice andtruth commissions.[1] She was committed to women's rights and led several seminars at theWorld Conference on Women, 1995.[1] Mireille Mizero called her "one of [Burundi]'s most remarkable daughters".[1]
Bukuru was married to her husband for more than 42 years, and they had four children and five grandchildren.[1] She was known within her family as Mama Nadège.[1]
Bukuru died on 26 August 2023 atAga Khan Hospital inNairobi. She was 68.[1]