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Senator Dr. Valentine Uwamariya has urged young people planning to marry to take time to understand each other and prepare for challenges, amid growing concern over rising divorce rates in Rwanda.
Speaking on a Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) program aired May 4, 2026, Uwamariya emphasized the importance of patience, communication and resilience in building lasting families.
Family breakdowns, particularly among young couples, have become a recurring issue in public discussions. According to data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda, 2,629 marriages were granted divorce through courts and recorded in the system in 2025. Of those, 41.1% involved couples who had been together for less than 10 years, while only 18 divorces involved marriages lasting more than 45 years.
Uwamariya advised young people to avoid rushing into marriage without proper preparation.
“My advice is to take time, be thoughtful, and agree on important aspects of life with the person you intend to marry,” she said. “We often hear of young people setting wedding dates without prior discussions, without preparation, and without knowing where to begin.”
She added that enduring challenges is a key part of marriage, noting that couples should expect difficulties such as financial hardship, illness and other life pressures.
“It is important to know the person you will live with and to agree on key issues, but above all, to learn patience,” she said. “Challenges are part of everyday life, and they will also arise in marriage.”
Uwamariya stressed that marriage requires partners to support each other through both good and difficult times, working together to overcome obstacles.
A separate report, the Rwanda Vital Statistics Report 2025 released April 15, showed that 4,479 marriages were recorded as ending in divorce in 2025, including those granted through courts.
The highest number of divorces was recorded in the City of Kigali with 1,199 cases, followed by the Eastern Province with 1,011. The Southern Province recorded 976 cases, Western Province 669, and Northern Province 592.
Court data also showed an increase in divorces over recent years, with 1,068 cases in 2024 compared with 782 in 2023.
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