Rwanda ranks first in Africa and 42nd globally in adherence to rule of law, according to the World Justice Project (WJP)’s Rule of Law Index 2022.

The WJP is an international civil society organisation with a stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world.”

Its Rule of Law Index is a quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice.

The index provides data on eight dimensions of the rule of law: limited government powers, absence of corruption, order and security, fundamental rights, open government, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

The country scores and rankings presented in the report were built from more than 500 variables drawn from the assessments of over 154,000 households and 3,600 legal practitioners and experts in 140 countries and jurisdictions.

Other top performers in Africa are: Mauritius (45th globally), Namibia (46th globally), Botswana (51st globally), and South Africa (54th globally).

What is behind Rwanda’s performance?

Rwanda performed well in a number of dimensions that are considered vital for the rule of law.

For example, in regard to the "absence of corruption” dimension, the country was ranked 34th out of the 140 countries that featured.

The "absence of corruption” dimension considers three forms of corruption: bribery, improper influence by public or private interests, and misappropriation of public funds or other resources. These three forms of corruption are examined with respect to government officers in the executive branch, the judiciary, the military, police, and the legislature.

The country was ranked 27th (out of the 140 countries) in regard to the "civil justice” indicator, which measures whether ordinary people can resolve their grievances peacefully and effectively through the civil justice system.

This dimension also measures whether civil justice systems are accessible and affordable as well as free of discrimination, corruption, and improper influence by public officials. It also examines whether court proceedings are conducted without unreasonable delays and whether decisions are enforced effectively. It also measures the accessibility, impartiality, and effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

For the "Order and Security” dimension, Rwanda again came out 27th out of the 140 countries.

The dimension measures how well a society ensures the security of persons and property.

"Security is one of the defining aspects of any rule of law society and is a fundamental function of the state. It is also a precondition for the realization of the rights and freedoms that the rule of law seeks to advance,” the report says.

Reacting to the report, Harrison Mutabazi, the Spokesperson of the Judiciary, said it reflects a number of efforts put in place to improve the justice system.

These include, for example, the use of the Electronic Case Management System in courts, as well as the Judicial Management Performance System (JMPS) to monitor the performance of judicial officials.

He also noted that the use of alternative dispute resolution measures like mediation are making justice more accessible to people.

"We expect much to come. For example, now we have introduced plea bargaining which is coming in handy to improve the dispensation of justice in criminal matters,” he said.

Venuste Kagabo, a lawyer with an experience of more than 8 years in criminal and commercial matters, also recognised the Judiciary’s efforts in improving access to justice.

However, he said there are things that need to be addressed for example, improving access to information, especially for the journalists in the country.