Mme Denise Nkurunziza

The former Ivory Coast first lady was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, prior to and after elections in 2010 she had told her husband that God had revealed to her that Ivory Coast was a gift from God to them.

Accordingly, Denise Nkurunziza has said that prior to the recent elections God had revealed to her that her husband would contest and win elections.

What she has not said though, is whether God had revealed to her whether his husband would be contesting for a controversial term which many believe is illegal.

Although President Nkurunziza was cleared by the constitutional court, the majority of his colleagues and the international community have condemned this term and called it a violation of the Arusha Accord that brought Nkurunziza himself in power.

As I have said above, Simone Gbagbo, the former first lady of the Ivory Coast, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in relation to violence that killed over 3,000 people in 2010.

Simone Gbagbo

The 65-year-old wife of former President Laurent Gbagbo was found guilty of undermining state security, disturbing public order and organising armed gangs in the aftermath of the country’s election five years ago.

With hundreds of thousands killed in Burundi before and after the elections, the fate of Denise Nkurunziza and other First Ladies in the region who co-rule with their husbands and some hold more power than their husbands, we are most likely to see more Simone Gbagbo in our region in the near future.

Joseph Ruhumuriza.