This study evaluates the level of access to justice and the quality of the justice rendered in Rwandese land dispute resolution and marks pathways to improvements in the benefits that those seeking justice may derive from the system. The analytical concept of proximity of justice provides the organising principle for our study and the present report. This notion distinguishes four different dimensions in which the level of access to and quality of justice can be measured: (1) timeliness (of decisions and the delays within which they can be enforced), distance (the geographical distance that has to be covered in seeking justice), (3) understanding (the extent to which those seeking justice understand the procedures followed and the decisions rendered), and (4) trust (the extent to which procedures and decisions correspond to their notions of justice and fairness, and are thus seen as legitimate). The focus in this report is on the quality of land dispute resolution in rural areas (as opposed to the cities), and specifically on the interventions of lower level administrative units, abunzi committees (somewhat akin to justices of the peace) and lower courts (tribunaux de base). This is because these institutions deal with and bring to an end the vast majority of land disputes that arise in the rural context.
Authors and Publishers
Marco Lankhorst
Muriel Veldman
RCN Justice & Démocratie (RCN)
La mission de RCN J&D est de « Promouvoir et appuyer une Justice de Proximité et une Justice Transitionnelle, ainsi que des pratiques démocratiques dans des sociétés et des Etats en transition ou en développement et sensibiliser le public européen à la prévention des conflits. »
Nos objectifs :
Data provider
The LAND Project is a five year program supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Its primary goal is strengthening the resilience of Rwandan citizens, communities and institutions and their ability to adapt to land-related economic, environmental and social changes.