Ministry of Justice Rwanda has unveiled an 80 million Rwandan francs fund aimed at helping vulnerable citizens cover the costs of enforcing court judgments, addressing delays that have left thousands of cases unresolved.
The Minister of Justice, Emmanuel Ugirashebuja announced the initiative on Feb. 27 during a parliamentary session reviewing concerns raised by the National Commission for Human Rights Rwanda.
Over the past five years, 195,904 cases were submitted for enforcement. While 82.83% were completed, about 17% remain pending, with many involving professional court bailiffs tasked with executing judgments.
Ugirashebuja said enforcement is often delayed because some litigants cannot afford upfront procedural costs, including property valuation and auction fees. In other cases, judgments involve compensation payments that require structured repayment agreements, which can take up to two years to settle.
Professional bailiffs enforced 145,352 cases during the five-year period about 90% of those assigned to them. Nonprofessional enforcers completed 16,498 of 35,000 cases, or 46.8%.
To ease financial barriers, 40 million francs will be provided by the European Union, with another 40 million coming from the national budget. The funds will be channeled through the Chamber of Professional Court Bailiffs Rwanda to support low-income litigants.
Officials said the fund will operate as a revolving mechanism. Once a judgment is successfully enforced including through auctions beneficiaries will reimburse the state, allowing the money to assist others facing similar financial constraints.
