The President of the Legal Aid Forum (LAF), Kananga Andrew, said that the policy of resolving disputes outside the courts is playing a major role in reducing the number of people sent to prison, since it settles issues before they reach the courts.
He made these remarks on July 28, 2026, during a meeting that brought together different justice institutions to assess the results of this policy.
The policy of resolving disputes outside the courts began in 2022, aiming to reduce the number of cases handled by courts in Rwanda.
Fewer Court Cases and Reduced Prison Congestion
The Director General of LAF explained that the policy has had significant impact, reducing the number of cases entering courts and easing overcrowding in prisons. He said: “The first sign that this policy is helping us is that cases entering courts have decreased.
Another is that overcrowding in prisons has reduced to a very encouraging level.”
A report from the National Human Rights Commission showed that prison overcrowding dropped from 134.3% in 2024 to 110% in 2025.
Kananga also said the policy has strengthened reconciliation and unity among Rwandans rather than focusing on punishment. He noted: “Courts divide, they do not reconcile. What we want are stable families living in harmony. In the past four years, we have seen cases entering courts decrease.”
Mediation Strengthens Reconciliation
The policy has been implemented across justice institutions, producing strong results in resolving many disputes peacefully through dialogue and consensus.
Judiciary spokesperson Harrison Mutabazi said that in the past 10 months since the policy was introduced in courts, more than 1,870 cases were resolved. He explained that mediation does not only reduce court congestion or speed up justice, but also helps repair relationships, reconcile families, and strengthen social unity.
He gave an example: “There was a young man following up on cases resolved through mediation who called a husband’s phone to check if the family was still together. The wife answered and said if they were not together she would not have answered. That family had already gone to court and been granted divorce, but later appealed and chose mediation.”
The Executive Secretary of Haguruka, an organization advocating for the rights of women and children, Ninette Umurerwa, said they resolved 352 cases through mediation and also provided counseling to those affected.
Cooperation Drives Implementation
The official in charge of the policy at the Ministry of Justice, Ruboya Antoine, said progress has been remarkable, including awareness campaigns to explain the policy to citizens. He added that cooperation among justice institutions has been prioritized, with government, private sector, and civil society actors trained to strengthen their knowledge of the policy.
Despite the success, challenges remain, such as the absence of a law specifying which cases must go through mediation before reaching courts, and limited public understanding of the policy.
Next Steps for the Policy
Kananga reassured lawyers who feared the policy would reduce their work, saying: “In mediation, it is not forbidden for a lawyer to play a role in reconciling clients who can afford their services.”
He concluded that upcoming steps include enacting a law defining cases to be resolved outside courts, and encouraging people to train in mediation as a profession.
