The Rwanda Bar Association (RBA) has appointed Barbara Umuhoza as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and William Niyongabo as Chief Operating Officer (COO), in a major restructuring of the association’s secretariat aimed at improving efficiency and preparing it for expansion.

The lawyers' body said the appointments are part of efforts to strengthen the management and administration of the Bar Secretariat, improve services to advocates and support implementation of the association’s strategic priorities.

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The restructuring comes as the number of lawyers in Rwanda continues to grow, with more than 1,500 advocates currently registered with the bar and about 200 others undergoing the admission process.

RBA President Moise Nkundabarashi said the growth of the profession, coupled with the association’s plans to expand its activities, prompted the need to rethink its management structure.

"Previously, we had an executive director and staff working in different departments, including medical services, finance, legal aid, programme development and administration. But now the number of lawyers has increased to over 1,500, with another 200 being processed,” Nkundabarashi said.

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He added that the bar is also considering expanding into new areas requiring a management structure that separates strategic leadership from day-to-day operations.

"We needed someone in charge of operations and someone who would be responsible for strategy at the strategic level as CEO,” he said.

New roles

Umuhoza, an author and communications consultant, will take charge of the association’s strategic direction.

As CEO, she will provide strategic and administrative leadership to the Secretariat, coordinate the implementation of decisions of the Governing Council, oversee the association’s activities and represent the Bar when delegated by its president.

She will also lead resource mobilisation, communication and partnership engagement initiatives.

Niyongabo, who previously served as Acting Executive Director of the Bar, will now oversee the association’s day-to-day operations as COO.

He will support the CEO in coordinating and executing the association’s programmes and operations, strengthening internal systems and processes, and ensuring efficient delivery of services across the Bar Secretariat.

Nkundabarashi said the restructuring was intended to support the Bar’s new vision as it approaches 30 years of existence.

"We started working towards these changes because the structure needed a revamp that would serve the vision of where we want to place the Bar Association,” he said.

He noted that many bar associations in the region and elsewhere have adopted CEO-led management structures.

CEO not necessarily required to be a lawyer

Nkundabarashi also said the CEO position does not necessarily have to be occupied by a lawyer, arguing that the Bar already has more than 1,500 lawyers and a Governing Council composed of lawyers.

"What we needed was leadership, strategy and other skills. The CEO has the support of more than 1,500 lawyers behind him or her,” he said.

He said the decision was also intended to bring greater professional diversity to the management of the association.

"Sometimes, as lawyers, we think that life starts with laws and ends with laws, yet that is not entirely true,” he said.

He pointed to areas such as communication, legal aid and business development as requiring different forms of expertise.

"We are going to develop a communication strategy, legal aid strategy, business strategy and others. All those strategies cannot be [developed by] one person. You combine people with different educational backgrounds and come up with something bigger,” he said.

According to him, the broader vision is to ensure that the bar does not focus only on lawyers’ professional affairs but also develops an institution capable of operating at national, regional and international levels.

Umuhoza said her immediate priority would be to ensure that the Secretariat operates efficiently, professionally and responds effectively to advocates’ needs.

"I will focus on strengthening the administration and management of the Bar, improving internal systems and accountability, enhancing communication with advocates, and ensuring that the decisions and strategic priorities of the Governing Council are effectively implemented,” she said.

She also identified resource mobilisation and strategic partnerships as key priorities to ensure that the Bar can sustainably improve services to its members and contribute to the justice sector.

On improving services to advocates, Umuhoza said the Bar would continue its digital transformation, including improving access to information, membership services and Continuing Legal Education.

She said the recently established RBA Training Centre would be an important platform for continuous professional development, particularly as the legal profession responds to changes in the regional and international legal market.

Ethics, access to justice remain priorities

Umuhoza said professional ethics would remain central to the Bar’s work, arguing that public confidence in the legal profession depends not only on lawyers’ competence but also on their integrity, professionalism and confidentiality.

The Bar plans to strengthen ethics education and Continuing Legal Education while ensuring that complaints and disciplinary matters are handled fairly, transparently and efficiently.

She also pledged to strengthen access to justice for vulnerable and underserved communities through collaboration with justice-sector institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.

The association will seek to expand legal assistance and public legal awareness programmes.

"We also want to encourage advocates to see pro bono service not only as a professional obligation, but as part of our collective responsibility to society,” Umuhoza said.

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She added that the Bar would explore the use of technology and partnerships to bring legal information and assistance closer to people who face difficulties accessing legal services.

"My overall vision is for a Rwanda Bar Association that is professional, efficient, innovative and responsive, an institution that serves its members effectively while remaining firmly committed to the rule of law, access to justice and the public interest,” she said.

Planned maternity support, wellness programmes for lawyers

The leadership changes come alongside broader plans by the Bar to improve the welfare of lawyers, with particular attention to female advocates.

Speaking during the launch of the 2026/2027 Judiciary Year on September 4, Nkundabarashi said surveys conducted by the bar had shown that some women were leaving the legal profession.

He said the association was therefore considering measures, such as maternity leave, to help female lawyers remain in practice, particularly during and after giving birth.

The association also plans to strengthen wellness programmes for lawyers, amid concerns about the demanding nature of the legal practice and its potential impact on practitioners’ wellbeing.

Nkundabarashi said the Bar had encountered cases of lawyers who died from health-related complications, including strokes, which he attributed in part to the pressures associated with the profession.

The welfare initiatives, he said, form part of broader efforts to strengthen lawyers’ professional development and wellbeing as the Bar enters a new phase of growth.