Rwanda closes around 8,000 places of worship for alleged health, safety concerns
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00:00For the past month, prayers have fallen silent in this Pentecostal church on the outskirts
00:06of Kigali.
00:07Every day of the week, the choir would practice, and it was full of people.
00:13I miss that.
00:15Last August, the Rwandan government shut down nearly 8,000 churches and mosques, about half
00:21of the country's places of worship.
00:23They failed to meet specific safety requirements and administrative guidelines.
00:28The pastor is overseeing renovations in hopes of reopening quickly after installing soundproofing.
00:37I think the government wants to establish clear governance because there was disorder
00:42in the churches.
00:44I'm rather happy.
00:46We needed to improve.
00:49But the closure has upset our faithful because prayer is their life.
00:58Previously, 2,000 worshippers would gather here every Sunday in Batsinda.
01:03For most Rwandans, the Sunday mass is a crucial meeting point.
01:11It's a long journey to the nearest parish.
01:13It's very difficult.
01:14I really hope they will reopen our church.
01:20The government also requires religious leaders to register with local districts and undergo
01:25theological training.
01:28So when these prayer houses do comply with the required standards and requirements of
01:32the law, definitely they are free to reapply, and then a verification will be made, and
01:38then their entities will be open.
01:40These criterias were part of a comprehensive law passed in 2018, which gave organizations
01:45five years to comply.