Rwandan authorities have shut down close to 8,000 churches across the country for failing to comply with laws regulating faith-based organisations.
The places of worship closed were found to be operating illegally, while others failed to observe the required standards.
For instance, some failed to install soundproofing and other infrastructure, like a parking lot, while others did not observe the necessary hygienic standards.
The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the enforcing body, reports that 7,709 churches have closed in a matter of days due to non-compliance, accounting for 59.3 per cent of the over 13000 churches inspected in the last two weeks.
“The closure of these places of worship came after routine inspections as per our mandate. We had given these churches ample time to improve, but they didn’t, so we had to shut them down,” said Usta Kaitesi, the CEO of RGB.
She said several churches were operating without permits and authorisation, which even posed risks to their congregation.
View this post on Instagram
NKONKONSA.com