Kandt House Museum — Attraction in Kigali City

It is the former Natural History Museum, which was changed to Kandt House Museum in December 2017.

I was taken around the museum by Susan, the museum tour guide.

One of the first things I saw when I walked into the compound was the bronze life-size statue of Richard Kandt, clad in German military regalia with a walking stick in his left hand and a peaked military cap in his right.

Kandt was the first German colonial Resident of Rwanda. He was appointed to the position in 1908 after leading the exploration northwest of German East Africa between 1897 and 1907.

German colonists set up Kigali as the administrative capital and thus the museum is named after him.

There are two main places to see in the museum — the main house, which contains much of Rwanda’s history, and the reptile park, which has snakes and crocodiles.

It was my first visit to a museum in Rwanda so I took my time going round. The house has three main exhibits.

The first part presents the social, economic and political aspects of Rwandan life, and the monarchy before the colonial period.

The museum shows the evolution of the standards of living, the flora and fauna of natural forests, and geological features.

The second part, which is also the biggest, traces the experiences of the Rwandan people during the colonial period.

It outlines their history specifically under the German rule from 1884, World War I and Rwanda’s involvement up to 1916, and Kandt’s life.

The third part of the exhibit documents Kigali before and during the colonial period, and its renaissance as a capital.

The guide then took me outdoors where there was a large statue of a gorilla and an enclosure with a baby Nile crocodile — about one and a half metres long — soaking up the sun.

The guide then led me to a small room of made of wood, which has snakes in glass enclosures. Inside lay some of the deadliest of African snakes.

They seemed well fed and did not require a lot of space. I had never been so close to the Black Mamba, Gabon viper, python and the...

I recently visited the museum, which is a pleasant and important place to learn about a key part of Rwanda’s history. The entrance fee is symbolic, and there’s a nice gift shop.

As a visual artist and interior architect, I’d like to share a few observations. The house restoration is overall well done, but presenting Rwanda’s history through cartoonish posters diminishes the value of the space. I suggest more modern displays using LED walls, and highlighting important sections with large glass display cases and proper lighting.

The zoo also needs a full update, including the crocodile area and all enclosures. The parking lot should be relocated outside the museum, and the place lacks a cafeteria. Seating in the garden is uncomfortable and should be improved.

I also recommend re-cladding the general site with local materials to fix the current visual distortion. Lastly, the statue of the German explorer should be replaced with a more realistic sculpture. The current one appears naive, and its base shaped like Rwanda’s map sends an unfortunate symbolic message that doesn’t reflect the beauty and dignity of...

It is OK to visit this former residence of German viceroy to Rwanda, Kandt, but you will not miss anything if you don't. There are a number of photos from Rwanda in the late 19th century auntie at the end of the colonial period. There are just a handful of items, but the lace can not be really called a museum. The 6000 RWF entrance fee also seems excessive. Also, there is a museum personnel who constantly watches you, which makes the experience rather uneasy.

It is good to learn about the colonial period, but the management can do better in managing the place. There is also a part where they keep some snakes and crocodiles, which I did not visit. It did not seem to be a very good place to keep animals. Overall, it is not strongly recommended to visit this museum, buy if you have some extra time, it's just OK...