 |
| President Paul Kagame has sharply criticized the proliferation of such churches, calling many a "den of bandits" that contribute little to national development. |
Rwanda has closed more than 10,000 evangelical churches for failing to comply with a 2018 law regulating places of worship. The legislation mandates strict health, safety, and financial transparency standards and requires all preachers to have theological training.
President Paul Kagame has sharply criticized the proliferation of such churches, calling many a "den of bandits" that contribute little to national development. He recently stated at news briefing last month, “If it were up to me, I wouldn't even reopen a single church.”
“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, according to AFP.
The law also requires churches to submit annual action plans aligned with “national values” and channel all donations through registered bank accounts.
The move impacts a nation where the vast majority identify as Christian, according to a 2024 census.