The Government of Rwanda has executed a sweeping enforcement of the 2018 faith-based regulatory law, resulting in the closure of more than 10,000 evangelical churches across the Great Lakes nation. The move, characterized by the administration as a necessary measure to ensure public safety and financial transparency, has sent shockwaves through the country’s religious landscape.
The closures stem from a rigorous 2018 legislative framework designed to oversee the proliferation of places of worship. Under these statutes, religious institutions are mandated to meet stringent health and safety standards, provide comprehensive financial disclosures, and ensure that all clergy possess formal theological training.
President Paul Kagame, a frequent and formidable critic of the unregulated “mushrooming” of evangelical houses, has offered no apologies for the crackdown. Speaking at a news briefing last month, the President expressed a profound skepticism regarding the societal value of these institutions.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even reopen a single church,” President Kagame remarked. “In all the development challenges we are dealing with the wars, our country’s survival what is the role of these churches? Are they providing jobs? Many are just thieving; some churches are just a den of bandits.”
For many independent ministries, the cost of compliance has proved insurmountable. The law dictates that churches must submit annual action plans demonstrating alignment with “national values,” while all tithes and donations must be processed through registered bank accounts.
Pastor Sam Rugira, whose ministry saw two branches shuttered last year due to fire safety violations, noted that the regulations have disproportionately affected the newer evangelical movements. However, for the average Rwandan, the impact is personal; with the 2024 census indicating a vast Christian majority, many faithful are now forced to travel exhaustive and expensive distances to find an authorized place of worship.
Beyond administrative concerns, President Kagame has framed the issue as one of intellectual and cultural independence, describing the church as a lingering relic of the colonial era. “You have been deceived by the colonisers, and you let yourself be deceived,” he stated in a stern address this November.
Analysts suggest the crackdown also carries significant weight regarding national security and the scars of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Ismael Buchanan, a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, suggested that the state remains wary of religious institutions being used as “conduits of recruitment” for external militias, such as the FDLR.
“Religion and faith have played a key role in healing Rwandans from the emotional and psychological wounds after the genocide,” Mr Buchanan observed, “but it also makes no sense to have a church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools.”
As the government continues its audit of the remaining institutions, the future of Rwanda’s evangelical movement remains uncertain, caught between a state-led drive for professionalization and the traditional spiritual needs of its people.
