A Presidential Palace, a Museum of History
The museum is located 15 km from Kigali city center, Nyarugunga sector and Kanombe sector,it is on 4 km from Kanombe International Airport.
It was a house of the former President of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana (July 5th,1973-April 6th,1994,), the 3rd President of �the Republic of Rwanda and� also the �5th President Pasteur Bizimungu (July 19th,1994-March 23rd,2000).
There is 2 houses inside the museum, big garden, a tennis ground, a swimming pool and the children place of gaming.
The former president lived in this small house, when he was Minister of Defence. The guide told us, the house show the difference between the president and minister! Jokes.
The second house, is the official �Presidential house, it was built between 1976-1980 and the �President started to� live in it in �1980. It is a big and modern house when you compare it to the architecture of today and the one at �that time.It has different rooms, the president room, children�s room, visiting room and office. It has a Chapel where in 1990 during his visit in Rwanda, Pope John II conducted the worship and gave the Benediction to the house.
The place became the museum in 2006 after the meeting of cabinet. The museum managed by Institute of National Museum of Rwanda.�The museum receive different visitors, foreigners and Rwandese. Even my group was diverse, with Francis, a Rwandese,it was his first times to visit the museum. He was surprised to see how the house was modern and good that at that time and he enjoyed to take a tour and know more from the house.�Annalisa, a researcher from America, she does her work in the museum and she gets more knowledge in her research, she know more about history and president governance for the house.�Mike, a Rwandese and student in secondary school, he enjoyed to make heritage fun and explored the president house, the guide was friendly and welcoming and he will be interested to continue to visit different palaces.
It is in this garden that the President died when he was coming back from a meeting in Arusha, there is the crash plane in the garden. The museum does a good conservation the history of the president and the country in general.