Léon Kengo wa Dondo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Léon Kengo
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Léon Kengo in the Polish Senate (2008)
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| 12th Prime Minister of Zaire | |
| In office 5 November 1982 – 31 October 1986 |
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| President | Mobutu Sese Seko |
| Preceded by | N'singa Udjuu Ongwabeki Untubu |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| In office 26 November 1988 – 4 May 1990 |
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| President | Mobutu Sese Seko |
| Preceded by | Sambwa Pida Nbagui |
| Succeeded by | Lunda Bululu |
| In office 6 July 1994 – 2 April 1997 |
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| President | Mobutu Sese Seko |
| Preceded by | Faustin Birindwa |
| Succeeded by | Étienne Tshisekedi |
| President of the Senate of Congo | |
| In office 11 May 2007 – 5 April 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre Marini Bodho |
| Succeeded by | Léon Mamboleo |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Leon Lubicz
22 May 1935 Libenge (Équateur province), Belgian Congo |
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| Alma mater | Université libre de Bruxelles (1962–1968, PhD in Law) |
Léon Kengo wa Dondo (born Leon Lubicz; 22 May 1935) is an important politician from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He served as the "first state commissioner," which is like a prime minister, many times under President Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He was a very powerful person in the government. He also believed in global trade and free markets. From 2007 to 2019, he was the President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Early Life and Name Change
Kengo was born in 1935 in Libenge, which was then part of the Belgian Congo. His father was Polish Jewish, and his mother was Rwandan Tutsi.
In 1971, he changed his name to Kengo wa Dondo. This happened during a time when President Mobutu encouraged people to use African names. This movement was called Authenticité.
Political Career
Léon Kengo started his career in the legal system. In 1968, he became a top lawyer in Kinshasa. Later that year, he was promoted to a very high position in the country's Supreme Court.
In 1974, a new constitution was created for Zaire. This constitution gave President Mobutu a lot of power. Kengo, as a senior legal official, believed that the legal system should still be independent. He thought that judges should be able to interpret laws freely.
Serving as Prime Minister
After working as an ambassador to Belgium, Kengo became prime minister for the first time in 1982. He held this role until 1986. During this time, he appointed many skilled people to important jobs to help run the country.
He then served as the foreign minister from 1986 to 1987. He became prime minister again from 1988 to 1990.
In 1994, Kengo was chosen as prime minister once more. This was an effort to balance the political challenges from other leaders. During this period, he took steps to control illegal trade activities in the country.
In December 1996, a civil war began in Congo. Kengo led a special government group to try and stop the rebellion. However, some people in Mobutu's government did not fully support him because of his Tutsi background. The rebels were allied with Tutsi governments in neighboring countries. As the rebels advanced, Kengo was criticized for how the war was being handled. He resigned in March 1997. The Mobutu government fell a month later, and Kengo left politics for a while.
Leading the Senate
Kengo later returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 2007, he was elected as a Senator for Équateur province. On May 11, 2007, Kengo was elected President of the Senate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was a bit of a surprise because he was an independent candidate. He won with 55 votes against 49 for the other candidate.
In 2015, during protests in Congo, Kengo met with diplomats from several countries. They asked him to consider changes to a new election law. He continued to serve as Senate president until April 5, 2019.
