Why has Rwanda shut thousands of churches and banned faith groups?

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Earlier this year, Jeanne, a resident of Rwanda’s capital Kigali, called into a private radio channel’s prayer show for a request.

The pastor on the show asked her to visit the church, and she agreed since the location was not very far from her home in Kigali’s Gasabo district.

Her experience at the church, however, was far from pleasant.

“The pastor told me that my prayer request could not be answered unless I offered a seed (money) with it,” Jeanne, who did not wish to disclose her full name, told Anadolu.

“He did not care when I said I have been jobless since I left university five years ago.”

Incidents like these are not out of the ordinary in Rwanda, and are among the reasons cited by the government for its latest crackdown on churches and faith groups.

Over the past month, authorities have shut down thousands of churches and prayerhouses for failing to comply with health and safety regulations.

By the end of August, more than 14,000 prayerhouses had been inspected across the country, and over 8,000, or 70%, were closed for violations, according to Local Government Ministry figures.

Additionally, on Aug. 28, a ban came into effect on the activities of 43 faith groups accused by authorities of operating illegally.

Some of the affected places were linked to the Lutheran Church of Rwanda, which was established in the 1990s to continue the work of German missionaries and is affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation.

The problem that Jeanne faced with the pastor asking for money is particularly common with the mushrooming Pentecostal churches in Rwanda and Africa, according to observers.

President Paul Kagame, while commenting on the ongoing drive, also criticized clerics who he said were “working under the guise of God to manipulate and fleece their followers.”

- Reasons for crackdown

This is Rwanda’s first major crackdown since an initial one that saw about 700 churches closed down in 2018, when a law was passed to regulate the growth in places of worship.

The law includes various provisions to ensure that churches and prayerhouses are built in an organized manner and remain safe for people.

It also focused on preachers, making it mandatory for them to undergo theological training before being able to open up a church.

Amid criticism over infringement of individual liberties and religious freedoms, Local Government Minister Jean Claude Musabyimana has defended the new drive against churches and faith groups.

In comments to local media, he argued that the government is only looking out for the safety of citizens and trying to protect them from exploitation by conmen.

He emphasized that many of the prayerhouses were closed for non-compliance with regulations including registration, building codes, safety, hygiene and sanitation.

Regarding financial exploitation, Musabyimana said there has been an increasing number of cases where preachers extorted money and property by promising miracles.

Others have been propagating harmful ideas creating divisions, promoting anti-vaccine disinformation, and spreading other conspiracy theories, according to the minister.

- Is the state overstepping?

Louis Gitinywa, a Rwandan human rights lawyer, does not believe that the government’s recent actions are “a violation of citizens’ constitutional rights.”

“While the constitution guarantees citizens the right and the liberty of worship, it also has some limitations such as the preservation of public order, legal requirements for safety and well-being,” he told Anadolu.

“Personally, I don’t think the state is violating citizens’ constitutional rights … Rather, the state has been proactive in regulating the sector by setting up legal standards that any church or faith-based organization must abide by.”

Regarding Kagame’s comments on some clerics fleecing followers, Gitinywa said the president just said out loud what many Rwandans are thinking.

“It is public record that many leaders of churches or faith-based organizations have faced allegations of financial malpractices,” he said.

“The fact that the head of state has come out to challenge those kinds of abuses is definitely a step in the right direction.”

Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairperson of the Rwanda Inter-Religious Council, has also weighed in on the debate, stressing that there is no danger of an imminent collision between the state and the church.

In a debate on national television, Mbanda said he supports the move to close down churches that did not comply with the requirements laid out for all.

Mbanda, who is the archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, stressed the need for leaders of faith-based organizations to be qualified individuals who must be subjected to proper scrutiny and background checks.