He said it is impossible for Rwanda to achieve its development targets without adequate justice delivery and respect to the rule of law.
Kagame made the remarks as he presided over the official opening of the 2018/19 Judicial Year at Parliament. The opening of the judicial year 2018/19 attracted about 60 members of the Rwanda judiciary including judges, prosecutors, lawyers, court registrars, authorities in public institutions and diplomats.
“The prosperity we all want must be founded on respecting the law. Our judiciary has an important role to play in ensuring every institution fulfills their role and when necessary to remind them of their responsibilities,” Kagame said.
The President reminded the judiciary that their role to ensure in ensuring that there is accountability and respect of the laws is key to the country’s development and safety of its citizens.
“Rwandan citizens have high ambitions and goals they are determined to achieve, and they need all of our institutions to fulfill their responsibilities,” Kagame explained.
“Rwandans want a nation open to the world, where every citizen feels safe and is able to feed and save for their families and enjoy fruits of their hard working in a country where accountability is key,” he said.
Kagame further lauded the judiciary for its contribution to the progress the country has attained.
Being the country with the highest number of women parliamentarians in the world, Kagame said that the inclusion of women in high decision making positions should serve to decrease gender based crimes that were highlighted among the predominant cases in Rwanda’s judiciary.
However, he asked men to play equal role with women in fighting crime and upholding women rights.
Kagame said, “A higher number of women in decision making roles has to lead to a decrease in gender discrimination and gender based crimes. This is not an exemption for men not to be involved. But you must play an important role in upholding the rights of women.”
On corruption, Kagame said fighting it should be a relentless battle. “The fight against corruption should never end. You will hear people say ‘corruption is little and it has reduced. Corruption level is not so low that it should be tolerated. In all our possible means, we should always keep fighting corruption.”
In the last judicial year, Rwandan courts received 63,360 cases. Rwanda has also instituted the Court of Appeal has reduced the time it took for the Supreme Court to receive and judge the cases from 30 to seven months.
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