BUJUMBURA, April 18th (ABP) – Marie Kinyabuku is a 71-year-old retiree, married and a mother of children. She lives in the city of Bujumbura. She has played an important role in promoting women’s political participation in Burundi since 1999, as she mentioned in an interview with the ABP on Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Bujumbura.
In her testimony regarding the promotion of women’s political participation in Burundi, she states that in 1999, she was a civil servant, at a time when the country was in crisis, and everyone wished for the end of the crisis and the return of peace to Burundi.
To this end, she points out, women who had been deeply affected by the various crises that shook Burundi had gathered within the collective of women’s associations and NGOs of Burundi (CAFOB) for the ultimate cause of advocating for peace; and as a result, they had to join the Arusha movement to contribute to the peace process.
Mrs. Kinyabuku notes that, as a member of an association fighting for the rights of orphans in Kinama, she joined CAFOB to support the women going to Arusha by providing them with arguments to present during the Arusha peace negotiations. According to her, women also joined the Arusha movement to understand what role would be assigned to them in this peace process.
Building on the results of the Arusha Accords, which granted women a 30% participation rate in decision-making bodies, women officially emerged on the political scene of the country, which enabled them to advocate for their rights and demonstrate their capacity to contribute to the country’s development.
Marie Kinyabuku also mentioned that in 2008, she initiated the campaign “Arashoboye”, which translates to “She is capable” in English. The campaign was widely supported by the entire women’s movement and became the slogan for the 2010 elections. As a member of the executive committee of CAFOB, Kinyabuku was one of the women who initiated the “Going beyond 30% women in leadership bodies” campaign, which continues to be a focus of advocacy. She explained that the women’s movement seeks to ensure that women are represented in all political and technical positions.
Marie Kinyabuku is also a member of the Women and Peace Network (RPF), which organizes awareness sessions for women and girls, preparing them for political participation. Women and girls are encouraged to pursue their studies to the highest level so they can be considered capable of leadership. Women are also sensitized to actively affiliate with different political parties and to show they are capable of contributing to programs, planning, and various tasks within political parties.
They are urged to avoid being passive within political parties and, instead, to demonstrate their skills so they can be included on electoral lists. They are encouraged to vote, to run for office, and to show solidarity with other women running for office. Women are urged to change their mindset because, as she noted, in previous years, a woman who was involved in politics was often labeled as uneducated, lazy in household chores, or accused of other vices.
Mme Kinyabuku also believes that it is not enough to only raise awareness among women. At the RFP level, she notes, a strategy has been adopted to raise awareness among men about positive masculinity. These interventions have contributed to the increase in the number of women in decision-making bodies. Kinyabuku is pleased with the progress made in promoting women’s political participation in Burundi and the growing understanding among Burundians that women should be allowed to participate in leadership positions. She hopes that the advocacy for going beyond 30% representation will be considered and lead to further progress.
For Mme Christine Mbonyingingo, a female leader who has significantly contributed to the promotion of women’s political participation in Burundi, the journey is still long despite the many efforts already made. She is the president of the Burundi Gender Parity Initiative 2030. She laments that, despite that progress, women and girls are still not sufficiently represented in positions of responsibility or in decision-making bodies. The goal of achieving 50% gender parity, with equal representation of men and women, has not yet been reached.
According to research conducted by the Burundi Gender Parity Initiative in 2024, women are represented at 41% in the National Assembly, 41% in the Senate, 33% at the level of communal councils, 36% at the level of communal administrators, 19% at the level of village advisors, 8% at the level of village chiefs, and 24% at the level of notable advisors, resulting in an overall average of 31%, she reveals.
The situation is similar in decision-making bodies. At the Vice Presidency, women are represented at 43%, at the Prime Minister’s office 17%, and at embassies 20%. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) is still headed by a man. At the level of the Independent Provincial Electoral Commissions (CEPI), which have been set up for the preparation of upcoming elections, women make up 36% in the expanded province of Gitega, 33% in the expanded province of Buhumuza, 46% in the expanded province of Bujumbura, 30% in the expanded province of Butanyerera, and 44% in the expanded province of Burunga, she reports.
According to Jean Paul Kagohe, project coordinator at the Network of Youth Organizations in Action (REJA), female leaders are actively involved in raising awareness about electoral laws, especially the electoral code and the law governing political parties, emphasizing the importance of voting and running for office among young girls and women.
Mme Claudine Bambanze is the head of ten households (Nyumbakumi) in the Taba neighborhood, Gihosha zone, Ntahangwa commune in Bujumbura city. She commends the capacity building she received from the women’s league of the CNDD-FDD party, “Abakenyereragamba,” of which she is a member. “These teachings gave me the courage to run for office, and now I serve as a mediator for couples in trouble because women easily share their issues with me, which is not the case when they express their grievances to male administrators. Being responsible for ten households has broadened my horizons,” she shares.
Eric Nduwamahoro, from Kigomera village in the Gishubi commune of Gitega province, praises how female leaders, members of the national women’s forum (FNF), have sensitized the women of his village, including his wife, to run for office. “Afterward, my wife, Eliane Nintunze, ran for office and was elected as the village chief, which has provided her with certain advantages to help meet some family needs.”