Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has criticized the rapid growth of churches in the country, warning that some exploit vulnerable citizens instead of promoting genuine faith and development.
Speaking to the press on Thursday, Kagame said he saw little role for churches in addressing global problems such as war and unemployment.
In August this year, more than 4,000 churches were closed down for failing to comply with health and safety regulations.
The Rwanda Governance Board stated that the rapid growth of some churches is driven by founders pursuing personal gain, including financial profit and property from members, while spreading misleading teachings.
Kagame urged religious institutions to focus on education, health, and social progress rather than profit-making, saying the faith “should uplift people, not impoverish them.”
-DW Africa-
ON NOVEMBER 27, 2025 KAGAME SAID:”If it were upto me, I would not allow any church to re-open…The church plays no role in development, in the survival of the country nor in resolving war issues . Does the church give jobs? Running a church is scamming and cheating from people!
The church is a place full of bandits
I have no mercy for any church
You have been deceived by the colonizers
and you let yourself be deceived!Why are we even talking about churches?
Go cultivate your lands, go raise your animals
As for prayer, if you need to, pray over the phone!
Don’t you know the origin of churches?
We had mercy, if we did not, we could have closed more churches. When asked about the few remaining churches overcrowding because now there are only a handful open, Mr Kagame said,
To solve the issue of overcrowding, let’s close them all! We will close the ones that we allowed to remain open and as for the people, let them pray from their homes. These praying stuff… who has (bewitched you) Africans?
Come to Zambia, Paul, and close some of these politically vocal Churches. We didn’t even elect them to rule us. They appointed themselves to govern us.
Come to Zambia, Paul, and close some of these churches that keep accepting donations from politicians, and are tribally inclined. They have even endorsed Hakainde to be president for life. They also dress in UPND regalia.
VOTE FOR CHANGE IN 2026.
Chikala has shown his ugly face again
Your father is rotting kikikiki
You seem to have a weak brain. You don’t need to insult to get your point across.
The church is as corrupt as lungu is and the PF.
As far as I’m concerned the church no longer teaches what christ said and did.
Instead it steals from the faithful
You have hit the nail right on the head. Not only the church but even religion itself has been used for personal gain throughout history.
I just blame churches which incite anarchy in the name of fighting or talking for the people.They got used to brown envelopes and when they don’t see them any more they resort to hooliganism and spreading hate.They make drama and damage other people’s integrerty in a humourous fashion symbolizing intelligence from God to denounce and cause hate and divisions in the country.These are supposed to preach love and unity to promote peace but they do the opposite.