The Rwandan government has reportedly closed approximately 10,000 churches, citing their failure to comply with a 2018 law that introduced stringent regulations for places of worship. This law mandates adherence to new requirements concerning health and safety standards, financial disclosures, and compulsory theological training for preachers.

One prominent example of these closures is Grace Room Ministries, an evangelical organization that previously filled giant stadiums in Rwanda three times a week before its shutdown in May. It was among the thousands of churches closed for not meeting the 2018 law's stipulations regarding health, safety, and financial transparency. President Paul Kagame has been a vocal critic of the proliferation of evangelical churches across the small African nation, particularly in the Great Lakes region. Expressing his stern stance, Kagame remarked in a recent news briefing, "If it were up to me I wouldn't even reopen a single church." He further questioned the churches' contribution to national development challenges and wars, stating, "In all the development challenges we are dealing with, the wars... our country's survival -- what is the role of these churches? Are they also providing jobs? Many are just thieving... some churches are just a den of bandits."

The closures have significantly impacted the vast majority of Rwandans who identify as Christian, forcing many to travel long and costly distances to find places to pray. Observers, however, suggest that the actual motivation behind the closures is rooted in the government's desire for control. Louis Gitinywa, a lawyer and political analyst in Kigali, told AFP that Kagame's government signals, "there's no rival in terms of influence." An anonymous government official echoed this sentiment to AFP, stating that the ruling party "bristles when an organisation or individual gains influence."

The 2018 law further stipulates that churches must submit annual action plans demonstrating their alignment with "national values" and that all donations must be channeled through registered accounts. Pastor Sam Rugira, whose two church branches were closed last year due to fire safety regulation failures, noted that the rules disproportionately affect new evangelical churches that have "mushroomed" recently. President Kagame has also framed the church as a "relic of the colonial period," a historical chapter with which the country continues to grapple, asserting in November, "You have been deceived by the colonisers and you let yourself be deceived."

The revocation of Grace Room Ministries' license, which saw Pastor Julienne Kabanda drawing massive crowds to the BK Arena in Kigali, came as a shock. The government cited unauthorized evangelical activities and a failure to submit "annual activity and financial reports" as reasons for its closure. An unnamed church leader in Kigali, speaking to AFP, conveyed fear over the president's "open disdain and disgust" for churches, predicting "tough times ahead" and lamenting the unfairness of even compliant churches remaining closed.

Some analysts link the clampdown on places of worship to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which resulted in the slaughter of approximately 800,000 people, primarily ethnic Tutsis. Ismael Buchanan, a political science lecturer at the National University of Rwanda, suggested to AFP that the church could occasionally serve as "a conduit of recruitment" for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Hutu militia formed in exile by those responsible for the genocide. While acknowledging religion and faith's critical role in healing post-genocide emotional and psychological wounds, Buchanan questioned the logic of having a church every two kilometers instead of essential services like hospitals and schools. Pastor Rugira, conversely, believes the government is "regulating what it doesn't understand" and should instead collaborate with churches to address issues and help them meet requirements, especially concerning the donations vital for their survival.