Burundi President Pierre Nkurunzinza with his 12-year-old daughter, Naomie Nkurunzinza, during the Labour Day ceremony at Rumonge, about 80km from Bujumbura. PHOTO | COURTESY
Burundi President Pierre Nkurunzinza publicly lauded his 12-year-old daughter and gave her an undisclosed amount of money on Labour Day during a ceremony to honour the country’s top workers.
According to state broadcaster, RTNB, the president’s daughter, Naomie Nkurunzinza, was rewarded for behaving well at home. The station further added that Naomie got the cash gift because she is hard-working and ‘loves Burundian culture and sport’.
UNSPECIFIED AMOUNT
“Head of state Pierre Nkurunzinza gave an envelope (of money) to his daughter Naomie Nkurunzinza, who has been behaving well at home,” RTNB said in a tweet, without specifying the amount.
Naomie was awarded alongside senior state officials, farmers, the country’s national football team, which recently qualified for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, a judo champion, governors and district administrators at the May 1 ceremony which took place at a sports stadium at Rumonge, about 80km from the capital Bujumbura.
EXPELLED STUDENTS
This decade-old tradition has also seen Nkurunzinza reward one of his sons, Jonathan – who was aged five at the time – his wife Denise Bucumi, and one of their nannies.
Naomie’s award comes weeks after a Burundi school expelled five girls aged below 17 for reportedly doodling on Nkurunzinza’s portrait.
“As stipulated by the school regulations in Article 31 paragraph 28, these five students are permanently expelled from school,” a statement signed by L’Ecofo Akamuri School director Isaie Nkinzingaabo read.
