According to the ministry, some of these churches are located in areas that make them unfit for holding prayer activities.
This was established during a recent nationwide inspection that led to the closure of more than 9,000 places of worship due to non-compliance with various regulations.
The Minister of Local Government, Jean Claude Musabyimana, revealed during an interview on RBA's *Imboni* program that around 600 churches were found to be unfit for reopening, including those that must be demolished because they pose a threat to public safety.
He stated, "There are buildings with serious issues. Among them, 336 are unsuitable for any activity; they are in locations where they should not be, and even their owners acknowledge this. We are not doing this in secret; their owners have discussed it with us and admitted that the best solution is to abandon or demolish these buildings and wait until they can carry out a proper construction project."
He emphasized that if a church is built in an area where people cannot live, "you cannot expect to renovate it and resume activities there the next day; it's just not possible."
Minister Musabyimana also pointed out that some churches will remain closed because they were found to be mere front organizations with no permanent locations. "You cannot claim to have a church with no permanent location, carrying its papers around, and then rent a space meant for other purposes," he added.
Minister Musabyimana clarified that closing a church does not equate to closing a religion, as a single denomination may have multiple places of worship, allowing for the closure of one while others continue to operate.
The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) recently announced that in December 2023, it met with representatives of faith-based organizations at the district level, reminding them that the grace period given by the law for those who lacked the required qualifications ended in September 2023. This law provided a five-year window to meet other requirements, including obtaining necessary academic qualifications, as there was a need for time to study and fulfill these obligations, which concluded in September 2023.
In May 2024, RGB also sent a letter to all religious leaders requesting documentation on the locations of their branches, information on those in charge, and their educational qualifications, but not all were able to provide the required documents.
**110 'Wilderness' Sites Permanently Closed**
Minister Musabyimana noted that during the church inspections, they found over 110 locations where people were worshipping in mountains, caves, water springs, pits, and other dangerous places, with some even struck by lightning.
"You are aware that many Rwandans were worshipping in various remote locations, such as mountains with water springs, caves, and what we referred to as wilderness sites, often without any form of safety. We heard of incidents where lightning struck and killed people in trees, only to find out that these were people who had gone to pray in such hazardous places," he explained.
"We agreed to close those sites because there is no reason for people to conduct prayer activities in such dangerous locations. There are no buildings there; it's just places where people gather, like pits."
The 2022 national census revealed that at least 390,000 Rwandans do not adhere to any religion. Catholics constitute over 5 million, accounting for 40% of the population, while ADEPR has 21%, Protestants 15%, Adventists 12%, Muslims 2%, and those practicing traditional beliefs less than 1%.
IGIHE
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/over-300-churches-to-be-demolished-in-ongoing-crackdown
