13 Facts About Pierre Lumbi

Pierre Lumbi Okongo Born in Costermansville, Belgian Congo was a Congolese activist, politician, and opposition leader.

Pierre Lumbi was a prominent figure in the political landscape of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known for his involvement in opposition movements and his role in advocating for political change.

Pierre Lumbi Okongo, a native of Maniema, was born in 1950 in Bukavu to a modest family.

Pierre Lumbi completed his primary education at the Ecole Primaire des Freres de la Charite Buyenzi in Burundi and his secondary education at the College Saint Paul in Bukavu, where he earned his state diploma in biochemistry.

Pierre Lumbi then returned to Bujumbura and enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the Universite Officielle du Burundi.

In 1978, Pierre Lumbi Okongo decided to return to his country and chose to reorganize rural farmers by creating "Solidarite paysanne" in the city of Uvira in 1980, the very first secular Non-governmental organization in the DRC.

When this movement succeeded in ensuring that delegates from social organizations outnumbered those from political parties, government institutions, and invited guests, Pierre Lumbi became the sole civil society delegation leader at the CNS from a province he was not originally from but one he strongly supported.

Pierre Lumbi re-emerged with the rise of Joseph Kabila as President of the DRC.

Pierre Lumbi Okongo was appointed director-general of studies and strategies at the presidency and participated in the Inter-Congolese Dialogue in South Africa.

In March 2019, Pierre Lumbi Okongo was elected senator for South Kivu in the legislative elections.

Pierre Lumbi held this position and served as senator for South Kivu until his death.

Pierre Lumbi launched a fundraising campaign to assist affected populations and called on the government to declare Uvira a disaster zone to provide immediate, medium, and long-term assistance to the affected populations.

On 14 June 2020, Lumbi died in Kinshasa from COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.