Kigali, Rwanda – Rwanda’s justice sector is pushing a dual reform agenda that combines tougher professional standards for lawyers with an expanded use of mediation, a strategy officials say could cut court case backlogs to as low as 25 percent by 2029.
The approach reflects a growing consensus that timely justice depends not only on efficient systems but also on integrity and professionalism across the legal chain.
Over the past year, the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly mediation, has already delivered measurable results. Court case backlogs have fallen from 63 percent in 2024 to 49 percent, a decline largely attributed to disputes being resolved outside formal courtrooms.
Under the National Strategy for Transformation II (NST2), the government had set a target of reducing backlogs to 30 percent by 2029, but justice officials now believe that goal can be exceeded.
Anatolia Mukabatsinda, the Acting Director General in charge of justice coordination at the Ministry of Justice, said the current pace of reform suggests backlogs could drop to around 25 percent by the end of the strategy period.
“We do not want citizens to submit cases to court and wait two years for a resolution because of backlogs. With these measures, we believe we can reduce backlogs beyond the NST2 targets,” she said.
The ADR centre in Nyarugenge District alone resolved more than 8,000 cases, while trained community mediators handled approximately 24,000 disputes nationwide this year.
Of the 17,941 mediators recorded in 2025, 17,424 have received professional mediation training. These figures point to a system that is increasingly structured, professionalized and capable of absorbing cases that would otherwise overwhelm courts.
To strengthen oversight and transparency, the Ministry of Justice is rolling out improved reporting systems to capture data from both professional and non-professional mediators, including those operating within civil society organizations.
Mukabatsinda acknowledged that weak reporting has long limited the visibility and impact of community-based mediation. “The ministry could not capture the number of cases handled by non-professional mediators. The new system will address this gap,” she said.
Under the new framework, mediation reports must be signed by both parties before submission, a safeguard intended to protect fairness and integrity.
At the same time, the judiciary is sending a clear message on ethics and competence within the legal profession.
Speaking at the General Assembly of the Rwanda Bar Association last week, the President of the Supreme Court and Chairperson of the Judicial Council, Domitille Mukantaganzwa, warned that corruption and poor preparation among lawyers directly undermine justice.
She likened corruption to “a small drop that spoils milk,” and said practices such as last-minute adjournments and reliance on repealed laws would not be tolerated.
“I will not lie to you. You know how long I have served at the Supreme Court, but I have encountered three cases where lawyers used repealed laws. You can see that this is a serious problem. A case must be properly prepared; you do not improvise in court,” she said.
Mukantaganzwa reminded lawyers that laws are enacted through established institutions and that professionalism requires continuous legal research and adherence to current jurisprudence.
“A professional should follow the guidance issued by the highest judicial organs,” she added, noting that proper preparation can sometimes help lawyers advise clients accurately without prolonged litigation.
The convergence of these reforms is already reshaping justice delivery at community level. Jacque Museruka, a legal advisor at Prison Fellowship Rwanda, said the training of mediators is transforming how disputes are handled.
“This is not just training, it is a step forward for justice,” he said, pointing to the “Ganubutabera system,” which allows organisations to record resolved cases, assess performance and track progress toward national targets.
For child-focused organizations, the benefits are equally tangible. Innocent Ntakirutimana of Children’s Voice Today said mediation now allows cases involving children to be resolved more quickly and at lower cost.
“We used to receive the problems which children reported to us, but we could not do much apart from forwarding them elsewhere,” he said, adding that the new system reduces the need for children to move between institutions.
With 1,700 practicing lawyers and more than 5,250 people represented legally in 2025, Rwanda’s justice sector is betting that ethical practice, professional competence and accessible mediation can work together to deliver faster, fairer outcomes.
Of the cases handled through mediation by the bar association that year, 75 out of 83 were successfully resolved, reinforcing confidence that justice, when handled well, does not always need to end in court.
