Kigali, July 23, 2025 – The Plenary Sitting of the Senate has passed the organic law governing the functioning of the Senate. This revised law aims to align the existing legal framework with the Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda, recently updated organic laws, and the national legal drafting guidelines established in 2022.

The Senate had been operating under Organic Law No. 007/2018.OL of September 8, 2018. However, major amendments made to the Constitution in 2023 necessitated a comprehensive revision of this law to ensure that the Senate’s operations are up to date and contribute more effectively to governance.

The main objectives of the revision are to harmonise the Organic Law governing the Senate with the following:

• The revised Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda,

• The Organic Law determining the functioning of the Chamber of Deputies,

• The Organic Law governing parliamentary oversight of government activities,

• The Organic Law on public financial management.

Additionally, the revision seeks to improve the Senate’s internal operations and align the language and structure of the law with the legal drafting standards introduced by the Rwanda Law Reform Commission (RLRC), through Directive No. 001/RLRC/2022 of October 18, 2022. These guidelines aim to ensure that laws are written in a manner that is clear, understandable, and consistent, making them more user-friendly and effectively applicable.

The Constitution of Rwanda requires each chamber of Parliament to have its organic law governing its operations. Although the Senate continued to operate under the 2018 law, current governance needs and legal reforms demonstrated the necessity of updating the structure, language, and scope of the law to strengthen the Senate’s role in Rwanda’s democratic system.

Following the 2023 constitutional reforms and the revision of Organic Law No. 03/2005—which outlines how Parliament exercises oversight over the Government—the Chamber of Deputies also revised its organic law, which was published on July 12, 2024, as Organic Law No. 002/2024.OL. The revised Senate law has now been aligned with these updated legal instruments.

The law was passed after the draft bill was thoroughly reviewed and debated, and subsequently approved by Members of the Chamber of Deputies, who highlighted the importance of having clear and effective legislation to enhance the performance of national institutions.