During the church closures, some churches were closed while others were demolished, in an effort to reduce disorder, as President Paul Kagame has often emphasized. In his first press conference of 2025, he provided an answer that many church-related individuals and Rwandans in general had been waiting for.

In the Q&A session, BTN TV reporter Kevin Christian Ibarushimpuhwe Bihoyiki asked President Paul Kagame the following question about the church closures:

“In July of last year [July 2024], a plan was introduced to close churches that did not meet the required standards, and some of them were demolished. However, there were others that were asked to complete certain requirements, and now six months have passed.

They say they were asked to fulfill certain conditions, and now they request that the authorities send representatives to inspect whether the required changes have been made, and if so, allow the churches to reopen.”

This was not the only question raised, as the reporter also touched on the issue of poverty, which prevents some people from getting married, and asked Paul Kagame for advice to those facing such challenges. In his response, the President began by addressing the church issue and highlighted that some people facing poverty delay getting married, particularly those who have been financially exploited by these churches.

In his response, President Paul Kagame stated: "The issue of churches has been discussed a lot, but if [you] all looked deeper into the roots of the issue and analyzed it… First of all, I do not understand why churches should be seen as a problem. And I think this is only a problem in Africa; I’m not sure if churches are a problem anywhere else. Perhaps it’s where the potential for abuse lies, particularly with those who refuse to marry."

He continued: "People have gotten involved in things that are based on appearances [here he indicated that some individuals are misled by the churches they attend, due to the promises made by their leaders], and the ones exploiting them seem to want to distract them, causing Africans to fall into such things."

President Kagame then went on to delve deeper into the issue and provided a conclusion that many were waiting for: "In general, everything, including these churches or anything else, should follow a certain process to ensure they meet the requirements. When these things happen, how are they done? How do they function? Generally, people want things to be organized, in society, in the country… they should always ask themselves these questions."

Addressing the reporter who asked the question, Paul Kagame responded further: "I believe, based on what you’ve said, you agree that these people had conditions to fulfill that they hadn’t completed, but now they have met those requirements. So, the remaining issue is to verify if they have truly fulfilled the conditions.

There is no claim that they were asked to complete something unreasonable or incorrect… What remains is for them to follow through with what was asked of them, to reduce the disorder. The disorder was there, and anyone who ignored it was simply ignoring the reality, but the disorder was severe, with things being unclear."

He concluded: "So, the way forward is clear. As for the churches that were closed, the authorities informed the people of the reasons for their closure, and for those that haven’t been closed, some people have accepted the reasons while others haven’t. You say some have met the requirements, and that’s good. Now, the remaining step is for those who have been closed to revisit and check if they’ve met the required conditions… Personally, I don’t see it as a big unresolved problem. It’s about implementing the necessary actions. I do not view it as a crisis.”

The church closures began in July 2024 when the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) started inspecting whether churches met the necessary standards, including the qualifications of church leaders, cleanliness, parking facilities, restrooms, the presence of an electrical system, and whether the sound system in the church did not disturb the surrounding residents. Other requirements included proper water drainage and ensuring the church was well-constructed.

Paul Kagame mentioned that those who had been closed would undergo inspection to verify if the conditions had been met, after which they could reopen, especially since disorder had been reduced