Kigali, 17 October 2014
President Kagame today addressed hundreds of community mediators during celebrations to mark 10 years since the establishment of Abunzi committees. Drawn from Rwanda traditional practices, the community mediation committees were established to settle disputes among people, to reduce numbers and save time spent in courts over minor disputes.
Commending the mediators for not only reducing the number of cases received in courts of law but also propagating unity and development, President Kagame said:
“Community mediators gave Rwandans access to a costless, speedy, unifying and convenient way of solving disputes. Abunzi is one of the paths to self reliance that we always seek.”
President Kagame said the success of incorporated traditional Rwandan practices is enough evidence that Africans have the ability to solve their own problems.