*Photo: President Paul Kagame*
Grace Room Ministries, once a dominant force in Rwanda’s evangelical landscape, regularly filled giant stadiums up to three times a week before it was abruptly shut down in May.
The church is among an estimated 10,000 places of worship closed by the Rwandan government for allegedly failing to comply with a 2018 law regulating religious institutions. The legislation introduced strict requirements on health and safety standards, financial transparency, and mandatory theological training for preachers.
President Paul Kagame has been outspoken in his criticism of the rapid spread of evangelical churches across the Great Lakes nation, questioning their relevance to Rwanda’s development and security challenges.
“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even reopen a single church,” Kagame said at a recent news briefing, accusing some churches of exploitation and criminality. “Many are just thieving… some churches are just a den of bandits.”
Despite Rwanda being overwhelmingly Christian—according to a 2024 census—the closures have forced many worshippers to travel long and expensive distances to find alternative places of prayer.
Analysts argue that beyond regulatory compliance, the clampdown reflects deeper concerns about influence and control. Kigali-based lawyer and political analyst Louis Gitinywa told AFP that the ruling party is wary of any organisation capable of rivaling state influence, a view echoed by an anonymous government official.
Under the 2018 law, churches must submit annual plans demonstrating alignment with “national values” and channel all donations through registered accounts. Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were closed last year over fire safety issues, said the rules have disproportionately affected newer evangelical movements that have “mushroomed” in recent years.
Kagame has also framed the church as a colonial-era institution whose legacy Rwanda is still confronting. “You have been deceived by the colonisers and you let yourself be deceived,” he remarked in November.
The shutdown of Grace Room Ministries stunned many believers nationwide. Led by Pastor Julienne Kabanda, the church had been attracting massive crowds to the BK Arena before authorities revoked its licence, citing unauthorised evangelical activities and failure to submit annual financial and activity reports. Kabanda could not be reached for comment.
A senior church leader in Kigali, speaking anonymously, warned that the president’s “open disdain and disgust” for churches signals tougher times ahead. “It is unfair that even those that complied fully are still closed,” he said.
Others link the government’s hardline stance to security concerns rooted in the 1994 genocide, in which about 800,000 people—mostly ethnic Tutsis—were killed. Ismael Buchanan, a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, told AFP that churches can sometimes be exploited as recruitment channels by hostile groups such as the FDLR militia.
While acknowledging the role of religion in national healing, Buchanan argued that unchecked proliferation of churches comes at the expense of essential infrastructure. “It makes no sense to have a church every two kilometres instead of hospitals and schools,” he said.
Pastor Rugira, however, believes the government is “regulating what it doesn’t understand,” urging authorities to collaborate with churches to eliminate abuse while helping compliant institutions survive—particularly those dependent on donations.