Keypoints:
- Over 10,000 churches closed for breaching worship regulations
- Law mandates safety standards, financial transparency and trained clergy
- Kagame says many churches undermine development goals
RWANDA has closed more than 10,000 evangelical churches in a sweeping enforcement of a 2018 law regulating places of worship, reigniting debate over religious freedom, governance and the role of faith institutions in national development.
The closures follow inspections by local authorities and regulators who say thousands of churches failed to meet legal requirements on health and fire safety, financial disclosure and clergy qualifications. Officials argue the move is about protecting worshippers and restoring order in a sector that has expanded rapidly and, in many cases, informally.
Most of the affected churches are small evangelical and Pentecostal congregations that have emerged over the past decade, particularly in densely populated urban neighbourhoods.
What the law requires
The 2018 legislation introduced some of the most stringent religious regulations in the region. Churches are required to operate from approved structures that meet safety standards, maintain audited accounts, and channel all donations through registered bank accounts.
Preachers must also possess recognised theological training, while religious organisations are expected to submit annual action plans showing how their activities align with what the government calls ‘national values’.
Authorities say many churches were given years to comply but continued to operate despite repeated warnings.
Kagame’s uncompromising stance
President Paul Kagame has been unusually blunt in his criticism of evangelical churches, portraying many as economically unproductive and socially harmful.
‘If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even reopen a single church,’ Kagame said during a public briefing last month. He questioned whether such institutions contribute meaningfully to Rwanda’s development agenda.
‘In all the development challenges we are dealing with, the wars, our country’s survival, what is the role of these churches? Are they also providing jobs? Many are just thieving; some churches are just a den of bandits,’ he said.
His remarks reflect a broader government view that unregulated religious spaces have become conduits for fraud, excessive noise, unsafe gatherings and financial exploitation.
Churches push back
Religious leaders affected by the closures say the law places a disproportionate burden on smaller congregations. Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were shut last year over fire safety violations, said newer evangelical churches have struggled most.
‘Many of these churches started in rented halls or converted buildings,’ he said, adding that upgrading facilities and meeting training requirements is financially difficult for grassroots congregations.
Some pastors argue that the regulations favour established denominations while squeezing out newer expressions of worship.
Faith, history and colonial legacy
Religion remains deeply embedded in Rwandan society. According to the 2024 national census, the vast majority of Rwandans identify as Christian, across Catholic, Protestant and evangelical traditions.
Yet Kagame has repeatedly framed organised religion as part of a colonial inheritance that still shapes social attitudes and power relations. In remarks last November, he described churches as a ‘relic of the colonial period’, accusing Africans of allowing themselves to be ‘deceived by the colonisers’.
That framing has unsettled religious groups, but resonates with the government’s wider push to assert state authority over all public institutions.
Regional and rights concerns
Human rights advocates warn that the mass closures risk infringing on freedom of worship, while government supporters argue regulation is necessary to protect citizens and curb abuse.
Rwanda is not alone. Across Africa, governments are tightening oversight of religious organisations amid concerns over fraud, radicalisation and public safety.
For now, Kigali has made clear that compliance, not compromise, is the path forward. Churches that meet the law’s requirements may apply to reopen, but the state’s message is unmistakable: faith will be permitted, but only on tightly regulated terms.
