The proportion of young people prosecuted in Rwanda fell from 51 per cent to 40 per cent during the 2025/26 judicial year, according to the National Public Prosecution Authority.
A total of 32,231 people aged between 18 and 30 were prosecuted during the year.
The figures were presented on Friday, September 4, 2026, during the launch of Rwanda’s 2026/27 judicial year at the Parliamentary Building.
Presenting the prosecution authority’s performance report for the 2025/26 judicial year, Prosecutor General Angélique Habyarimana said the number of young people facing prosecution had declined compared with the previous year.
“An assessment of the people prosecuted by the National Public Prosecution Authority shows that 40 per cent, equivalent to 32,231 people, were aged between 18 and 30. Compared with the previous year, when they represented 51 per cent, there has clearly been a decline,” Habyarimana said.
She said the prosecution authority would continue strengthening measures intended to reduce the number further, noting that young people represent an important part of the country’s workforce.
“These measures must be improved to help young people move away from crime. One example is the campaign against substandard alcoholic drinks, which has contributed to a reduction in crimes committed by people who consume them,” she said.
An assessment of crimes committed during the previous year showed that theft and intentional assault or battery causing injury were the two most common offences.
Together, they accounted for 49 per cent of all case files received by the prosecution authority during 2025.
The authority said drug use was another prevalent offence it prosecuted. It described drug-related crime as an offence that often contributes to the commission of other crimes.
Prosecutors secured convictions in 98 per cent of the drug-related cases taken to court.
Overall, the National Public Prosecution Authority received 71,276 case files and made decisions on 68,232, representing 95.7 per cent.
Of the files decided, 40,793 were submitted to courts, while 27,439 were closed for different legally recognised reasons, including the payment of fines and reconciliation between complainants and accused persons.
The prosecution authority said it would continue promoting ways of resolving disputes without court proceedings because alternative dispute resolution helps deliver faster and more effective justice centred on citizens.
RADIOTV10