She was married to the king (mwami) of Burundi, Mwezi IV Gisabo in the mid 1890s and she was his favourite wife.

Ririkumutima was born in the mid-nineteenth century in the Kingdom of Burundi,[2] the third daughter of Chief Sekawonyi of the Watussi Munyakarama clan by his wife Inankinso.

The role of queen mother (mugabekazi) was a highly revered one in Burundian society; this, coupled with Ririkumutima's political acumen made her a formidable presence.

[7] The first Europeans to encounter Ririkumutima described her as being: carried by bearers on her litter from one royal residence to another and [someone who] personally dealt with the kingdom's affairs.

In her visits to the European authorities, this slow-speaking woman, incapable of a movement, showed herself to be as intelligent, as energetic and more stubborn than all the princes in her entourage.Ririkumutima died at Gitega on 28 July 1917.