Mbonyumutwa served as President of Rwanda from January 28, 1961, to October 26, 1961.
The slap became a significant event in Rwanda's history due to its symbolic meaning. During that time, there was a tense political atmosphere, with Belgium using Hutu political parties to push for the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic.
Many Rwandans could not understand the idea of a republic and the possibility of forgetting the monarchy that had ruled for so long.
At that time, the political parties, especially MDR-Parmehutu, which advocated for the republic, and UNAR, which supported the monarchy, were at odds.
Mbonyumutwa was aligned with the MDR-Parmehutu party, serving as Sub-Chief in Ndiza (Gitarama). He was one of the leading politicians encouraging the population to reject the monarchy and fight for the establishment of a republic.
On November 1, 1959, Mbonyumutwa attended a mass in Byimana. After the mass, he went to visit Father Marara, who lived at the parish. On his way back, he met Karekezi Pascal and other young people.
Karekezi and the other two youths were reportedly upset by the notion of the monarchy being abolished and the words Mbonyumutwa's alignment with ideologies to kill the Tutsis.
Karekezi once told IGIHE that he and his colleagues decided to slap Mbonyumutwa to stop his public promotion of the republic and his divisive rhetoric.
He said, "He supported the idea of killing people. Instead of promoting the culture of the country, he took the Belgian model to create a republic, and you have seen what the republic led to."
Karekezi mentioned that he and Mbonyumutwa had known each other previously, as Mbonyumutwa was from a neighborhood called Mwendo.
Due to the political rivalry between Parmehutu and UNAR (the monarchy-supporting party), some believed Karekezi and his colleagues were sent by UNAR to slap Mbonyumutwa. However, Karekezi denied this claim.
He said, "How could UNAR send us? [...] We were at home when he came from his place to promote the Parmehutu agenda, and we knew that it was all about killing people."
Karekezi described how they ambushed Mbonyumutwa as he was on his way home and slapped him. But Mbonyumutwa fought back.
He explained, "We slapped him as he was heading to a place where he would become a Sous-Chef. He came from Mwendo... He fought back because he was not tied up."
"He fought back and left. He didn't go to court, and no one came for revenge. He later became a sous chef. They continued to stir division and war, until they began destroying everything."
After the incident, rumors spread that Mbonyumutwa had been killed by Tutsi youth sent by UNAR. Some Tutsis were attacked, their homes burned, and many were killed while others fled.
Mbonyumutwa was elected president by leaders from the Hutu political parties in a meeting held in Gitarama, where it was confirmed that the monarchy was officially abolished. Mbonyumutwa was elected to lead the newly established republic.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/the-day-karekezi-slapped-former-president-mbonyumutwa
