The figures show a steady increase over the eight-year period, starting with 13 cases in 2018 and rising to 368 in 2019. The number stood at 326 in 2020, 339 in 2021, and 464 in 2022, before nearly doubling to 804 in 2023.
The highest annual total was recorded in 2024, when courts imposed community service in 1,462 cases. The figure fell to 584 in 2025, while 114 cases resulted in the sentence during the first half of 2026.
Nyagatare Primary Court recorded the highest number of sentences at 554 cases, followed by Gasabo with 463, Nyarugenge and Ndora with 332 each, and Kicukiro with 323.
Speaking to journalists on September 11, Inspector General of Courts Valens Nkurunziza noted that community service applies to specific statutory violations.
“The law currently provides for six offences that can attract this sentence. It was imposed most frequently in 2024, when it was handed down in 1,462 cases,” he said.
Overall, historical data indicates that more than 20,000 people had been sentenced to community service under the national framework by 2024, including individuals who were awaiting deployment.
The Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS) expanded implementation of these community service sentences in December 2025, initially placing 800 individuals into public work and development projects.
Under Rwandan criminal procedure law, community service imposed as a principal sentence cannot exceed six months. It can also replace part of a custodial sentence: for offences carrying prison terms between six months and five years, a court may order an offender to serve up to two years of the term through community service.
Where an offence carries a prison sentence of less than six months, the community service period cannot exceed that maximum term. If an offender willfully fails to fulfill their assigned duties, they can be ordered to serve the remainder of their sentence in prison.
The RCS determines placement based on an offender’s technical skills and health status. Depending on the arrangement, individuals either return home daily or reside at designated facilities. Sentences may be temporarily suspended in cases of physical or mental disability, serious illness, or pregnancy where continuous labor poses health risks.
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