Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) plans to relocate several prisons located in urban areas to give way for the implementation of the city’s master plan. The Minister of Interior, Vincent Biruta, told the parliamentary Committee on National Unity, Human Rights and the Fight against Genocide, while discussing issues raised in the National Commission for Human Rights report for the 2024/2025 period. ALSO READ: Correctional Services plans halfway homes for inmates “The prisons include Muhanga, which is located within the town, Musanze Prison, Ngoma Prison, Huye Prison and Bugesera Prison, which is likely to be affected by the airport being built there. Preparations for their relocation have already started,”he revealed. The report also points to infrastructure challenges in some correctional facilities, noting that prisons in Bugesera, Muhanga, Ngoma and Rusizi operate in ageing buildings. Although Rusizi Prison still uses old infrastructure, the process of relocating inmates to newly built facilities in Nyamasheke District has already started. ALSO READ: Kigali Central Prison to relocate this year It further notes that all prisons have isolation rooms for inmates with infectious diseases and generally adequate sanitation facilities, except in Muhanga and Huye prisons. Mulindi and Nyarugenge prisons were identified as the only facilities with toilets designed for persons with disabilities. The report also indicates that overcrowding in prisons has declined. During an inspection conducted in March 2025 on the respect of prisoners’ rights, the occupancy rate dropped to about 110 percent, down from 134.3 percent in the 2023/2024 period. By August 31, 2025, when the report was being prepared, the Rwanda Correctional Service indicated that overcrowding had further decreased to 103.8 per cent following the opening of the new Nyamasheke prison, which has started receiving inmates. Biruta said that a master plan is being prepared to guide how prisons should be built in the future so that they meet the required standards. Upgrade of detentions On the issue of old and inadequate detention centres, he said renovation requires significant funding, but police have already identified priority stations to be upgraded. These include Kimironko in Gasabo District, Nyamata in Bugesera, Rushaki in Gicumbi, Kinigi and Nkotsi in Musanze, Busasamana in Nyanza, Bugeshi in Rubavu, Jenda in Nyabihu and Bweyeye in Rusizi. Police also compiled a list of stations whose detention rooms and sanitation facilities are in poor condition. These are expected to be prioritised in the 2026/2027 fiscal year. Biruta added that the government also plans to rebuild, expand and construct new prison facilities, including prison blocks, health facilities and social reintegration centres, depending on the availability of funds. “Efforts are also being made to reduce congestion in detention facilities near courts by ensuring that suspects brought to court are returned to detention centres located near where they reside.” Challenges also remain in prisons near courts and in Kigali, where some inmates are transferred to access medical services and temporarily held in nearby facilities while receiving treatment, he added.
