Rwanda’s Nyarugenge Intermediate Court has sentenced Marie-Chantal Mukanzabarushimana, to life imprisonment for her involvement in the murder of her five-year-old stepdaughter, Elsie Akeza Rutiyomba.
The tragic incident occurred in January last year when Akeza was discovered lifeless in a water tank in their residence in Kanombe sector, Kicukiro district.
On July 28, the presiding judge delivered the verdict, explaining the compelling evidence that proved Mukanzabarushimana’s responsibility in Akeza’s death. This evidence included testimonies from her maid and an analysis of the tank’s sizes in which the victim was drowned among others.
Previously, the family had requested Rwf 70,000,000 in damages, but the court has ruled in favor of awarding them Rwf 50,000,000 instead.
During the past hearings, the prosecution presented evidence of how Akeza’s murder was planned. The prosecution highlighted the testimony of the maid, who said that Mukanzabarushimana sent her to the shop on multiple occasions, intending to create an opportunity where she could be alone with the victim. The maid revealed that when Mukanzabarushimana finally obtained the desired privacy, she drowned Akeza in the water tank.
The motive behind the crime, as explained by the prosecutor, involved a conflict between Mukanzabarushimana and her husband regarding his relationships with other women, with whom he had children. Akeza was born out of wedlock between Agathe Niragire and Florian Rutiyomba, who later officially married her.
The prosecutor dismissed the theory that the victim could have accidentally drowned, emphasizing that the tank was too short for a five-year-old and that she was old enough to understand the danger. The autopsy report confirmed that Akeza was not drowned but instead killed and disposed of in the tank, contradicting earlier assumptions.
Additionally, crime scene reports provided detailed information about the tank’s structure and the overall condition of the location, corroborating witness accounts and the findings of the investigators.
However, Mukanzabarushimana has strongly denied any involvement in Akeza’s death. She claimed that she had an alibi, as she was in the hospital when the tragic incident occurred.
Mukanzabarushima also said that most of the witnesses’ testimonies were false, adding that Akeza was a stubborn child.
