Six hundred and seven female inmates who were incarcerated in Nyarugenge prison commonly known as 1930 prison on Sunday relocated to the newly completed Nyarugenge prison in Mageragere sector, Nyarugenge district.

According to the Rwanda Correctional Services (RCS), this is the last batch after male prisoners were transferred last year.

"The 1930 prison, also known as Prison Centrale de Kigali (PCK), has today ceased to be a prison after RCS completed shifting all female prisoners to the new Mageragere-based facility. 1930 Prison is now closed,” Hillary Sengabo, RCS spokesperson said yesterday

Currently, Mageragere has over 7,968 prisoners many of whom were moved from both Nyarugenge and Gasabo prisons, according to Sengabo.

1930 will be preserved for historical purposes

The facility, being the oldest prison in the country is set to remain intact and preserved as a historic site, according to city officials.

The prison was built in 1930 by Belgian colonialists and was the largest prison in the country.

However, CHIC, a consortium of several business persons, plans to build hundreds of apartments on one part of the facility.

The association of local investors that will put up the proposed apartments, will be allowed to make use of most of the remaining 5.5 hectares of the land in the facility’s precinct.

In a recent interview with The New Times, CHIC officials said they were yet to determine the number of households that the planned apartments will accommodate but they intend to put up one to three bedroom units.

A preliminary development study shows they will construct 126 one-bedroom units, 294 two-bedroom units, and 144 three-bedroom units.

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