Kinshasa, 31 July, 2025 / 8:49 PM
The University of Goma (UNIGOM) has announced plans to construct a peace hall in memory of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a former student of the institution who was beatified on June 15 in Rome for his courageous witness of faith and integrity.
The initiative was launched by UNIGOM alumni on Wednesday, July 30 as a way of immortalizing the legacy of a fellow graduate whose life continues to inspire courage, faith, and integrity among young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The foundation stone for the Bwana Chui Bin Kositi Peace Hall was laid after a special commemorative conference that was organized in collaboration with the Sant’Egidio Community, of which Blessed Bwana Chui was an active member.
“Today, we have the great joy of laying the foundation stone for the hall that will bear the name ‘Bwana Chui Bin Kositi Peace Hall’,” said Anne-Marie Sumaili Njabuka, head of the university's second graduating class in law.
Mrs. Njabuka added, “The hall, intended especially for underprivileged students, will serve as a space for hospitality, listening, and study, honoring Floribert’s dedication to the most vulnerable, including street children.”
She invited all University of Goma alumni to “support this meaningful project that embodies the cherished values of the Blessed.”
“Holiness, leadership, and commitment can be born on the benches of the University of Goma. It is also a call to all UNIGOM alumni around the world to reconnect with their alma mater, remember it with pride, and contribute to its continued growth,” Mrs. Njabuka said.
She continued, “In the spirit of Blessed Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, who remained steadfast in his commitment to truth and justice, all former students and friends of UNIGOM are invited to respond to this call. In doing so, we will continue to carry the torch of our university high, wherever we may be in life.”
On 25 November 2024, the late Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of Bwana Chui and authorized the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to publish the decree announcing his beatification.
Born on 13 June 1981 in the city of Goma, the Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui was reportedly abducted and martyred in the same Congolese city on 8 July 2007 for standing up against corruption.
He hailed from a wealthy family and studied law and economics. As a student, Bwana Chui joined the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Rome-based lay Catholic association dedicated to the provision of social services and arbitrating conflicts. He volunteered to reach out to street children.
He started his professional life in DRC’s capital city, Kinshasa, as a Claims Officer at the customs and goods control agency, the Congolese Control Office (OCC). His duty was to evaluate products crossing the DRC Eastern border.
Blessed Bwana Chui had to handle a moral dilemma, that of allowing contaminated food imported from neighboring Rwanda and without proper documentation and authorization for sale entry into DRC.
The June 15 Beatification of Bwana Chui made him the fourth Blessed in DRC after Sr. Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta from the Diocese of Wamba, and layman Isidore Bakanja from Mbandaka-Bikoro Archdiocese.
DRC also has Fr. Albert Joubert from the Diocese of Uvira, who was beatified in August 2024 alongside three Xaverian missionaries in eastern part of the country.
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