Rwanda is one of the Commonwealth nations that has developed people-centred access to justice (A2J) strategies.32 The country has implemented several people-centred access to justice strategies as part of its broader governance and legal reform agenda. It has placed justice at the centre of its post-genocide reconstruction and nation-building, with a strong emphasis on accessibility, accountability and community-level dispute resolution.
Institutional framework
The Ministry of Justice in Rwanda is responsible for the overall co-ordination of justice policy and reform. It also oversees policy planning and monitoring of justice sector performance. The executive in Rwanda therefore has a role in the reforms of the judiciary, unlike in Kenya where the judiciary has more autonomy in its reform and transformation agenda.
Rwanda has been implementing the Justice Sector Strategic Plan (JSSP) IV (2018–2024), which focused on:
- enhanced legal aid provision
- improved delivery of justice services
- citizen participation
- performance accountability
- use of technology and innovation.
The 2014 Legal Aid Policy institutionalised free legal aid for vulnerable populations. Legal aid providers include the government through the Rwanda Bar Association, non- governmental organisations and faith-based organisations. The Rwanda Legal Aid Forum (RLAF) co-ordinates stakeholders and provides strategic direction.
People-centred A2J approaches in Rwanda
Rwanda’s people-centred access to justice approach is built around a combination of community engagement, traditional reform strategies, and digital innovation and inclusion. Some of the key components of the strategies include:
- empowering communities through the Abunzi system
- streamlining and digitising justice processes with an integrated electronic case management system (IECMS)
- expanding ADR options in courts and dedicated centres
- focusing support on land issues through training and resources
- justice for children and in cases of gender-based violence
- integrating innovation and inclusion through workshops and policy development.
Abunzi Community Mediation Committees
The word ‘Abunzi’ literally means ‘those who reconcile’ or ‘those who bring together’. In traditional Rwanda, Abunzi were respected men known within their communities for personal integrity and were called upon to intervene between parties whenever disputes arose. The concept has been given legal recognition in Rwanda.33 The Abunzi Community Mediation Committees were introduced in Rwanda in 2004. The members of the committees are elected within the communities and are structured from the cell to sector levels.
Each committee comprises 7–12 respected local volunteers, at least 30 per cent of whom must be women. These committees provide mandatory mediation for civil disputes of a value below 3 million Rwandan francs (an equivalent of about US$2,700) and certain minor criminal cases, before they can be allowed to proceed to court. In carrying out their duties, they are allowed to merge national and traditional approaches in their dispute resolution mandate.
At the time of writing, there were more than 38,000 mediators operating nationwide. Outcomes show an 85 per cent case reduction of civil matters in the courts because of this intervention, a 78 per cent positive public perception and 77 per cent perceived integrity.
The 2006 Organic Law in Rwanda prohibits Abunzi mediators from giving punitive sentences. The mediators do not receive a salary. However, they receive support via in-kind benefits, including health insurance, airtime, bicycles to help them travel through the villages, and continuous training and training materials on different aspects of the law. They are expected to conduct their business with professionalism and inclusivity – giving each interested party a chance to be heard.
Integrated electronic case management system (IECMS)
Rwanda has an integrated electronic case management system (IECMS). The IECMS was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Justice. Kenya’s integrated case management system (ICMS) actually borrowed some aspects of the Rwanda system in developing its own. Its main functions include automated case filing and tracking of progress. Judgements and rulings are accessible through the system, while enforcement stages are also monitored. Mobile technology initiatives have been put in place to disseminate legal information, and online platforms are expanding access in rural and remote areas. These efforts have streamlined justice delivery, by making it more accessible without the necessity of visiting the registries or physically appearing in court.
Unlike the Kenya system, which only links with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and is yet to integrate with other justice institutions, the Rwanda system links multiple justice institutions, enabling data sharing, case alerts and recommendations for ADR pathways. The Rwandan judiciary also continually offers training to upgrade the skills and enhance the capacity not just of staff, but also court bailiffs and law enforcement officers.
Court-annexed ADR and small claims innovation
Since 2012, Rwanda has integrated court-annexed mediation and small claims procedures, resolving civil and commercial disputes without the necessity of the complicated technicalities of full litigation. It has a dedicated ADR centre, with a physical hub in Nyamirambo, designed to offer accessible, efficient and community-focused mechanisms for resolving disputes.34 This development has centralised access to mediation. This works well for disputants around the city of Kigali. Through a robust communication strategy, community awareness of the hub has been enhanced and citizens made aware of the different available ADR options they can choose from.
Land dispute-focused justice programming
Land disputes being common in the country, Rwanda has undertaken targeted training through the support of development partners on land dispute resolution aligned with formal law and human rights. To support this initiative further, knowledge tools have been developed, including a Land Dispute Resolution Handbook available in Kinyarwanda and English. E-learning modules were introduced to standardise the practice.
Justice for children and gender-based violence
The Isange One Stop Centre provides integrated services (medical, psychosocial, legal and police) for those subjected to gender-based violence (GBV). The Centre GBV Service is an outpatient department service designed for delivering care to victims of GBV. Patients are attended to by medical doctors, accompanied by nurses who provide care as recommended by the doctors. Once their condition is stable, patients are transferred to other legal services or other referral facilities accordingly.
Child-friendly courts and specialised units are also in place for children in conflict with the law and those in need of care and protection. These efforts have led to the removal of barriers for women and children in accessing justice in Rwanda.
Integrating innovation and inclusion initiatives
To bridge the law and technology, the Ministry of Justice hosts regular events, such as the 2024 African Law and Tech Summit,35 among other workshops whose objectives have been to integrate ADR and digital justice in government. Other activities include media training on topical issues around justice to help with effective dissemination of information. Rwanda has also ensured disability-friendly initiatives to ensure disability-inclusive access to ensure fairness.
This holistic model weaves grassroots empowerment, legal modernisation and digital infrastructure, offering a practical, people-centred framework in line with SDG 16.3. It has earned Rwanda international recognition, including the 2024 Commonwealth A2J Innovation Award.
Monitoring and community feedback
For purposes of monitoring progress and receiving community feedback, Rwanda has in place community dialogue sessions, known in the local dialect as ‘Umuganda’, whose objective is to sensitise citizens about legal rights and justice services. The feedback mechanisms are integrated into Maison d’Accès à la Justice (Access to Justice Bureaus) and Abunzi performance evaluation frameworks and the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) tracks citizens’ satisfaction through the Citizen Report Card36 and Rwanda Governance Scorecard.37
Successes
Confidence and trust in the Abunzi system, with an over 80 per cent satisfaction rate, has enabled a reduction in delays in the finalisation of cases by decongesting the courts and allowed for speedy resolution of disputes. Courts have become more efficient and responsive to the needs of justice seekers.
Challenges
- The limited and hybrid parameters within which the Abunzi are allowed to operate causes legal ambiguity in their processes. They are also excluded from high-value claims or high-stakes disputes that involve the government. The effect of this is to exclude the role of traditional systems in modern governance.
- Legal aid service coverage for criminal matters is still very limited.
- Continuous legal education for Abunzi members is hampered by limited resources, hence the need for sustainability measures to mitigate the challenge.
- Remote and marginalised communities still experience challenges in terms of access to the ICT platforms due to limitations caused by illiteracy and poverty.
Footnotes
32 See Ministry of Justice, Access to Justice Services Department, www.minijust.gov.rw/access-to-justice-services. | [back]
33 Nyamasege, W. (2024, August 4), ‘Rwanda’s mediation committees solved 8,500 cases in the past fiscal year’, IGIHE. https://en.igihe.com/news/article/rwanda-s-mediation-committees-solved-8-500-cases-in-the-past-fiscal-year. | [back]
34 Ministry of Justice, Rwanda (2024, August 28), ‘Rwanda inaugurates Alternative Dispute Resolution Center in Nyamirambo: A milestone in Rwanda’s justice system’. https://www.minijust.gov.rw/news-detail/rwanda-inaugurates-alternative-dispute-resolution-center-in-nyamirambo-a-milestone-in-rwanda-justice-system. | [back]
35 See https://www.certafoundation.rw/resource/african-law-tech-summit. | [back]
36 Rwanda Governance Board (2025), Citizen Report Card 2025. https://www.rgb.rw/publications/citizen-report-card/. | [back]
37 Rwanda Governance Board (2025), Rwanda Governance Scorecard: 12th Edition. https://www.rgb.rw/publications/governance-scorecard/. | [back]