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Security Deposit Withholding
Primary Court ยท Abunzi ยท Tier 1 โ Highest Volume
Kigali's rapid urbanisation creates tens of thousands of rental agreements. Landlords are legally required to refund deposits within 30 days of vacant possession, minus only verified, documented damage costs. Delayed or withheld deposits accrue statutory legal interest under BNR rates.
R_owed = D_initial โ ฮฃ(C_damage ร I_verified) โ U_rent
IF (T_current > T_vacant + 30 days) AND (R_owed > 0)
THEN A_award = R_owed + (R_owed ร r_legal ร ฮt)
| Variable | Definition | Source |
|---|
| D_initial | Original deposit paid (RWF) | Lease agreement / receipt |
| C_damage ร I_verified | Repair cost ร 1 if in signed inspection, 0 if not | Repair invoice + move-out inspection form |
| U_rent | Unpaid rent balance owed by tenant | Landlord receipts / payment record |
| r_legal | BNR statutory legal interest rate (currently 17% p.a.) | BNR API |
| ฮt | Days overdue beyond 30-day limit รท 365 | System calculation |
Legal basis: Civil Code Art. 127 (deposit obligations) ยท Art. 128 (30-day return window)
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๐ฆ
Microfinance / SACCO Loan Default
Primary Court ยท Tier 1 โ Very High Volume
Outstanding MFI loans in Rwanda reached 143 billion RWF in 2023. Every non-performing loan is a potential claim. BNR caps the contractual rate at 24% per annum โ higher rates are automatically adjusted by the engine.
Total_Scheduled = Principal + (min(r_contract, r_BNR_cap) ร Principal ร ฮt_loan)
Balance = Total_Scheduled โ Payments_Made
Penalty = Balance ร r_penalty ร ฮt_overdue
A_award = Balance + Penalty
Legal basis: Law No. 72/2021 on Deposit-taking MFIs ยท BNR rate cap regulation ยท Code of Civil Procedure Art. 203
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๐
Unpaid Commercial Invoice
Primary Court ยท Tier 1 โ Very High Volume
Supplier-buyer trade debt is among the most common Primary Court filings. Once the invoice and agreed payment date are confirmed, the outstanding balance plus statutory interest is computed automatically.
Balance = Invoice_Amount โ Amount_Paid
Interest = Balance ร r_legal ร ฮt_overdue
A_award = Balance + Interest + D_penalty_clause
Legal basis: Commercial Contracts Art. 45 (payment obligations) ยท Art. 67 (default consequences)
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๐ผ
Unpaid Wages & Terminal Benefits
Abunzi ยท Primary Court ยท Tier 1
Rwanda's Labour Code specifies exact formulas for notice periods and severance. The engine applies MIFOTRA minimum wages automatically where stated salary falls below the statutory threshold.
Wages_Owed = max(Salary, MIFOTRA_min) ร Months_Unpaid
IF Dismissed_Without_Notice THEN Notice_Pay = Salary ร 1 month
IF Wrongful_Dismissal AND Years_Served โฅ 1
THEN Severance = Salary ร min(Years_Served, 10)
A_award = Wages_Owed + Notice_Pay + Severance + Interest
Legal basis: Labour Code Law No. 66/2018 Art. 28, 30, 35 ยท MIFOTRA minimum wage
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๐ฟ
Land Lease Arrears
Abunzi (โค3M RWF immovable) ยท Tier 1
Agricultural lease and seasonal plot rent disputes are extremely common in Rwanda's rural districts. The Abunzi committee handles cases up to 3,000,000 RWF for immovable assets. SmartCourt Rwanda automatically identifies the correct forum based on claim value.
Arrears = Rate_per_Season ร Seasons_Unpaid
IF Penalty_Clause THEN Penalty = Arrears ร (Multiplier โ 1)
A_award = Arrears + Penalty
Legal basis: Land Tenure Law โ lease payment obligations ยท Abunzi Organic Law (โค3M RWF threshold)
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๐๏ธConstruction Non-Completion / Defect
Primary Court ยท Tier 2
Homeowner-contractor disputes are common in Rwanda's construction boom. Where both parties agree on completion percentage, the refund and cost-to-complete are computed directly. If disputed, an inspector's assessment is required.
Refund_Due = Amount_Paid โ (Contract_Value ร Complete_%)
Cost_To_Complete = max(0, Replacement_Quote โ Remaining_Balance)
A_award = Refund_Due + Cost_To_Complete + Defect_Cost + Consequential_Loss
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๐ตMoto Hire-Purchase Default
Abunzi ยท Primary Court ยท Tier 2
Rwanda's hundreds of thousands of moto-taxi operators are commonly financed through cooperative hire-purchase schemes. MTN MoMo payment logs provide a verifiable digital trail for installment records.
Balance_Owed = Total_Price โ Down_Payment โ (Weekly_Installment ร Weeks_Paid)
Net_Claim = max(0, Balance_Owed โ Repossession_Value) + Penalty
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๐ฑMobile Money Dispute
Primary Court ยท Tier 2 โ Fast Growing
Rwanda's mobile money penetration is among Africa's highest. Wrong transfers, merchant disputes, and agent fraud claims all have deterministic formulas. MoMo transaction logs are accepted as primary evidence.
IF Wrong_Transfer: Refund = Full_Amount
IF Merchant_Dispute: Refund = Amount ร (1 โ Service_Delivered_%)
A_award = Refund + (Refund ร r_legal ร ฮt)
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๐พAgro-Commodity Supply Breach
Primary Court ยท Tier 2
Agriculture is 25% of Rwanda's GDP. Maize, coffee, potato and bean supply failures are computed using MINAGRI/NAEB published district price benchmarks, elimininating spot price disputes entirely.
IF Force_Majeure = False AND Date_Actual > Date_Contract
THEN Damages = (P_spot โ P_contract) ร Quantity_kg + D_liquidated
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๐School Fees Non-Refund
Abunzi ยท Tier 2
IF School_Closed_Unilaterally: Refund = Full_Fees + Transport
ELSE: Refund = Fees ร (1 โ Days_Attended / Days_In_Term) โ Admin_Fee
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๐งนDomestic Worker Wage Claim
Abunzi ยท Tier 1 (High rural volume)
Rwanda's Labour Code covers all workers regardless of contract form. MIFOTRA minimum wage (30,000 RWF/month) is automatically applied when no contract exists or stated salary is below minimum.
Effective_Salary = max(Agreed_Salary, MIFOTRA_min)
Wages_Owed = Effective_Salary ร Months_Unpaid
A_award = Wages_Owed + Notice_Pay
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๐Livestock Damage / Crop Trespass
Abunzi (โค1M RWF movable) ยท Tier 1 Rural
One of the highest-volume Abunzi case categories. MINAGRI publishes quarterly district crop prices โ these replace any price dispute. A 50% contributory negligence reduction applies if the claimant's fence was already defective.
Crop_Damage = Area_mยฒ ร Yield_kg/mยฒ ร P_MINAGRI
A_award = (Crop_Damage + Fence_Repair) ร Negligence_Factor
Negligence_Factor = Fence_Defective ? 0.5 : 1.0
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