Grégoire Kayibanda was a prominent Rwandan political leader who played a significant role in the country's history, particularly in its transition from a Belgian colony to an independent nation. Born on May 1, 1924, in Tare, a region in central Rwanda, Kayibanda was raised in a predominantly Hutu community. He pursued his early education at a Catholic missionary school, which was a common path for many young Rwandans at the time, as the Catholic Church played a major role in education and the dissemination of Western ideas in the region.

After completing his education, Kayibanda became increasingly involved in the intellectual and political movements that were emerging in Rwanda during the 1950s. This period was marked by growing discontent with Belgian colonial rule and the traditional power structures that favored the Tutsi minority over the Hutu majority. In 1957, Kayibanda authored the "Hutu Manifesto," a document that criticized the socio-political dominance of the Tutsi and called for the empowerment of the Hutu majority. This manifesto is often cited as a pivotal moment in the rise of Hutu nationalism and the eventual push for independence from Belgian rule.

Kayibanda's political influence continued to grow, and in 1959, he founded the Parti du Mouvement de l’Emancipation Hutu (PARMEHUTU), a political party that championed the cause of the Hutu majority. The party quickly gained widespread support among the Hutu population, and its activities contributed to the outbreak of the Rwandan Revolution in 1959, a period of intense ethnic conflict that resulted in the overthrow of the Tutsi monarchy and the establishment of a Hutu-led republic.

Following Rwanda's independence on July 1, 1962, Kayibanda became the country's first president. His presidency was marked by efforts to consolidate Hutu power and to marginalize the Tutsi minority, which had been the ruling class under both the pre-colonial monarchy and the Belgian colonial administration. Kayibanda's government implemented policies that entrenched ethnic divisions, including the systematic exclusion of Tutsi from political and economic power.

Kayibanda's administration also faced significant challenges, including economic difficulties, internal political strife, and tensions with neighboring countries. Despite these challenges, he remained in power until 1973 when he was overthrown in a military coup led by Major General Juvénal Habyarimana. After the coup, Kayibanda was placed under house arrest and later died under unclear circumstances in 1976. Some accounts suggest that he was starved to death, although the exact details of his demise remain a subject of speculation.

Kayibanda's legacy is a complex one. He is remembered as a key figure in Rwanda's struggle for independence and the architect of the first Hutu-led government. However, his policies also laid the groundwork for the deep ethnic divisions that would later contribute to the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. As such, his life and political career continue to be the subject of extensive analysis and debate among historians and political scientists.

REFERENCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9goire_Kayibanda