The Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) has announced the closure of Bugesera Correctional Facility, effective October 12, 2026, following a decline in the number of prisoners across the country.
In a statement signed by RCS spokesperson CSUPT Hillary Sengabo, the institution confirmed that prisoners previously held at the facility had been transferred to other correctional facilities.
The statement said: “The management of the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) informs families whose relatives were held at Bugesera Correctional Facility that the facility has been closed effective today. Therefore, the prisoners who were held there have been transferred to other correctional facilities.”
Families Informed of Prisoners’ New Locations
RCS also announced that arrangements had been made to allow prisoners to communicate with their family members and inform them of their new locations. Relatives will now visit the prisoners at the correctional facilities to which they have been transferred.
The statement added: “You are also informed that arrangements have been made for prisoners to communicate with their family members about where they have been transferred, and their relatives will visit them at those facilities.”
Declining Prison Population Behind Closure
CSUPT Hillary Sengabo told IGIHE that Bugesera Correctional Facility had previously accommodated 2,320 people. He explained that the closure was linked to a decline in Rwanda’s prison population, which has reduced pressure on correctional facilities.
He said: “The general reason is that the number of prisoners in the country has been declining. When the number of prisoners decreases, the number of correctional facilities also decreases. Currently, the transferred prisoners are not causing overcrowding at the facilities to which they have been moved because our occupancy rate is at 97%. In other words, we are no longer experiencing overcrowding, and the rate continues to decline. Therefore, when transferring them, we identified facilities that were not overcrowded and moved them there.” The number of people held in correctional facilities across Rwanda currently stands at 68,733.
Rwanda Retains 12 Correctional Facilities
Following the closure of Bugesera Correctional Facility, Rwanda has 12 correctional facilities remaining, according to the information provided by RCS. Seven facilities accommodate male prisoners only, while Nyarugenge and Musanze correctional facilities accommodate both men and women. Nyagatare Correctional Facility accommodates children, while Nyamagabe and Ngoma correctional facilities accommodate female prisoners only.
The closure comes as RCS reports a continuing decline in the number of prisoners and a national occupancy rate of 97% across the facilities where transferred prisoners are being accommodated.
