Rwanda’s oldest and most prominent prison commonly known as "1930” will soon be razed down to pave way for a 5 – star hotel. The prison that is situated in downtown Kigali had to relocate following Kigali City Council’s master plan that allocated the land for hotel development.

Kigali Mayor Aisa Kirabo has continuously pointed out that the surrounding area is reserved for commercial purposes.

The prison will relocate to Mageragere also in Nyarugenge district, and according to the Minister of Internal security Musa Fazil Harerimana, expropriation procedures are already under way.

The minister also said that there is a deal in place where an investor has agreed to construct the new prison facility in exchange for the prime land.

"We agreed with the investor to build the new prison that will accommodate 10,000 prisoners in exchange for the land at the current site,”  Harerimana said.

The new facility will have separate wings accommodating 1,000 juveniles, 2,000 women and 7, 000 men.

It will also have a hospital wing with a capacity of accommodating 500 patients at any given time. According to the minister, having a fully equipped hospital will avoid any prisoners escaping while out on medication.

Harerimana said that the investor will build the prison in less than one year once cabinet approves a contract that will be jointly designed by both his ministry and the Ministry of Justice.

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