Police, Prisons sign performance contracts

The Ministry of Internal Security yesterday, for the very first time, signed a six-month performance contract with the Rwanda National Police, the National Prisons Service and the TIG Secretariat. TIG is a community service sentence handed to Genocide convicts. The event, that brought together heads of the three institutions and other senior officials, was held at the ministry’s headquarters in Kacyiru and presided over by Musa Fazil Harelimana, the Internal Security Minister. Commissioner General of Police, Emmanuel Gasana, vowed to embark on infrastructural development and increasing the police’s presence close to the population. He said that within this period, they would have at least two new police stations as well as finishing the refurbishment of the force’s headquarters in Muhima. Police headquarters are supposed to relocate to the so-called Kabuga Building in Muhima, along the Kigali-Nyabugogo road which is currently under renovation. Gasana, also said that they would ensure that a Forensic Laboratory and Canine Brigade are in place within this period, as well as organizing the police’s 10th anniversary that is set for June this year. The force will also give more support to the Disaster Management Centre and intensify capacity building among junior and senior police officers, especially in the field of criminology. Mary Gahonzire, the head of prisons, said that 10 prisons will be equipped with biogas and the construction of Gikombe prison in Rubavu will be completed. Ruhengeri and Gisenyi prisoners will relocate to Gikombe. She also revealed that they will within this period, kick-start construction works on Butamwa prison in Nyarugenge district where both Kigali Central Prison, commonly known as 1930 and Remera Prison in Kimironko will be relocated.All prison facilities will also have courtrooms and prisoners will be enrolled on the communal health insurance scheme, Mutuelle de Sante. Ruhengeri prison, she said will be turned into an all female prison, the first of its kind in the country. Evariste Bizimana, the Executive Secretary of TIG said that the number of prisoners on TIG will increase, where over 90,000 people sentenced by Gacaca are supposed to be serving their sentence through community work. He said that so far, only 35,000 have joined TIG camps and are serving their sentences in various community development activities. “We will lay strategies on how more convicts can complete their sentences,” Bizimana said. Minister Harerimana called for more commitment from the institutions, urging them to fulfil what they had promised to do within the contractual period. “The signing of performance contracts is the simplest part, but realizing all that was included needs a lot effort,” Harelimana observed He called for ‘total commitment’ of all departments in achieving their set goals. Ends