By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Kenya, 22 December 2025 - Rwanda’s government has shut down more than 10,000 evangelical churches in a sweeping enforcement of a 2018 law regulating places of worship, a move that has reignited debate over religious freedom, public safety and the state’s tight grip on institutions with social influence.
Authorities say the closures target churches that failed to meet legal requirements on health and safety standards, financial transparency and leadership qualifications. The law also requires all preachers to undergo formal theological training, submit annual action plans showing how their activities align with national values, and channel all donations through registered bank accounts.
President Paul Kagame has been outspoken in his criticism of the rapid growth of evangelical churches across the country.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even reopen a single church,” Kagame told a news briefing in November, according to TRT World News.
He questioned the contribution of some churches to Rwanda’s development, adding: “In all the challenges we are dealing with — wars, survival — what is the role of these churches? Many are just thieving; some are just a den of bandits,” he said.
While officials frame the move as a regulatory exercise, analysts say it reflects a broader political instinct to control centres of influence.
“Kagame’s government is signalling that there should be no rival sources of influence outside the ruling party,” lawyer and political analyst Louis Gitinywa told AFP.
“Any organisation that gains significant influence is treated with suspicion.”
Others link the crackdown to Rwanda’s painful history.
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The country remains deeply sensitive to spaces that could be exploited for political mobilisation or extremist recruitment after the 1994 genocide.
Ismael Buchanan, a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, told TRT World News that while faith has helped many Rwandans heal, unchecked expansion raises concerns.
“It makes little sense to have a church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools,” he said, warning that some spaces could be misused.
On the ground, the closures have disrupted daily worship in a country where the majority identify as Christian.
Some believers now travel long distances to pray, while church leaders argue the approach has been too blunt.
Several say even compliant churches were shut without sufficient dialogue, urging the government to engage faith groups rather than impose blanket closures.
Rwanda’s Sweeping Church Closures Stir Debate on Worship and State Control
Over 10,000 Evangelical Churches Closed in Strict Enforcement
