Kigali, September 17, 2025— The Chamber of Deputies has passed a new law on accident compensation. This legislation outlines the rights of accident victims and the types of compensation they are entitled to receive, whether the accidents involved insured or uninsured parties.

The law defines several categories of people eligible to receive compensation for damages resulting from accidents, including, among others, individuals injured or whose property is damaged in an accident, regardless of whether the responsible party had insurance, relatives or dependents of someone who died due to an accident.

The law provides for several types of compensation for both accident survivors and families who lost a member in an accident. These include medical expenses, transportation costs: for travel expenses related to medical care, rehabilitation and re-skilling, financial support for prosthetics and medical devices for accident survivors; and Funeral expenses, lost expected income and moral damages for victim families.

Among the provisions of this law are the Compensation paid to a person who has sustained permanent disability, the Compensation paid to a person who has sustained temporary disability, and the Compensation paid to the beneficiary of a person who dies as a result of an accident.

The Calculation and payment of accident compensation is as follows: 

• Compensation is paid taking into account the extent of the damage caused by the accident and the victim's income.

• If the victim of an accident or his or her beneficiaries cannot provide evidence of the victim’s actual pre-accident income, compensation paid is calculated at a rate of FRW 3,000 per day.

• An Order of the Minister determines the rates, calculation methods, requirements and criteria applicable to the payment of accident compensation. 

This new legislation marks a significant step forward in protecting the rights of accident victims and their families. It not only ensures financial relief but also emphasises the importance of restoring quality of life for those affected by accidents.