Mediation has delivered significant results in Rwanda’s justice system, with more than 20,000 cases resolved in 2025 across business, family, governance, and employment-related disputes. However, the same level of success has not been reflected in divorce cases, Chief Justice Domitilla Mukantaganzwa has said.
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She made the remarks on Monday, December 8, while addressing the press during the launch of Justice Week, which runs from December 8-19.
The event brought together institutions from across the justice sector, including the Ministry of Justice, Rwanda National Police (RNP), Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), and the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA), among others.
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Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution mechanism that allows parties to work with a trained neutral mediator to discuss their issues and reach an agreement outside court. Any settlement achieved through the process is endorsed by a judge.
Also, parties may request mediation at any point, before filing a case, during initial proceedings, mid-process, or even close to judgment.
Under the law, mediation is permitted for offences punishable by a sentence not exceeding five years. However, with exception in cases involving gender-based violence, physical assault, or sexual abuse within a marriage, even where the offences carry penalties below the five-year threshold.
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Mukantaganzwa said mediation continues to prove effective for parties who willingly commit to the process.
"Mediation requires the readiness of both sides. They must be willing to change, adapt to the system, and recognise that it can help them resolve their disputes cost-effectively, within a shorter time, and without cultivating animosity,” she said.
She noted, however, that the approach has yielded limited success in divorce-related matters.
"We are trying to integrate mediation into divorce cases, but it is not performing well. Instead, it often becomes a tool that delays the dissolution of marriage, which may create opportunities for a spouse to engage in harmful or unhealthy behaviour,” she said.
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Reconciliation in such cases, she added, is more likely to come from personal relationships rather than formal mediation.
"When a couple decides to divorce, the first potential mediator is usually a parent if they are fortunate enough to have one, and sometimes a trusted friend. If those closest to them cannot influence their decision, it becomes difficult to expect an external party who does not fully understand their relationship to change the outcome,” she explained.
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According to the 2024/2025 annual judicial report, Rwanda registered 2,674 divorce cases, down from 2,833 in 2023/2024 and 3,075 in 2022/2023.
Despite the challenges, Mukantaganzwa expressed optimism about future trends.
"Mediation may not be yielding positive results in divorce cases for now, but we encourage courts to grant divorce where it is genuinely sought. Couples remain free to reunite and recommit to their marriage if they later determine that it is in their best interest. We hope to see more couples, in the future, finding their way back to one another even after divorce,” she said.
She further emphasised the need for society to embrace mediation as a shared cultural value.
"For mediation to succeed, we must all adapt to it and change our mindset. While crime divides and destroys us, mediation has the power to reunite and rebuild our communities,” she said.