The Government will not give you registration unless you have a proper building set to be the church. These ones below are among thousands closed in the crackdown.
The Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) has published new regulations that place strict requirements on new faith-based organizations seeking to register and operate in the country.
The regulations, which are published in the National Gazette, come in the wake of the closure of a number of faith-based organizations over the past year for reasons including hygiene, noise pollution, and poor construction.
The new regulations require faith-based organizations to:
*Intended pastor must have a minimum of 1,200 hours of training in religious practice
*Submit an annual report to the Rwanda Governance Board
* Pay Rwf 2m as “service fee”
*Disclose their sources of funding
*Comply with building codes
*Operate in a way that does not disturb the peace
In addition, the regulations require faith-based organizations to:
*Have a leadership that has no criminal record
*Not be involved in any political activity
*Not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion, ethnicity, or nationality
The regulations also give the government the power to close faith-based organizations that do not comply with the new rules.
The Rwandan government has said that the new regulations are necessary to ensure that faith-based organizations are operating in a responsible and transparent manner. However, some faith-based organizations have criticized the regulations, saying that they are too strict and that they will make it difficult for them to operate.
The new regulations are likely to have a significant impact on faith-based organizations in Rwanda. It is possible that some organizations will be forced to close down, while others will have to make significant changes to their operations.
It remains to be seen how the new regulations will be enforced. However, it is clear that the government is serious about regulating faith-based organizations.
Here is the full list of th new registration regulations:
Subject to provisions of Law n°72/2018 of 31/08/2018 determining the organisation and functioning of faith-based organisations, an organization applying for legal personality must address to the Rwanda Governance Board the following additional documents:
(a) a certificate issued by the District or the City of Kigali, confirming that the building designated for worship activities adheres to the legal construction requirements applicable to the specified location;
(b) a document confirming the exclusive use of building for worship activities;
(c) a document confirming the conduct of all religious rituals, ceremonies and practices exclusively within the building of the organization designated for worship activities;
(d) documents of the legal representative of the organization and his or her deputy required by laws. If such documents were issued abroad, they are channelled through the Rwandan Embassy located in the country of issuance and authenticated by the Ministry in charge of foreign affairs in Rwanda to ensure their validity;
(e) a proof of payment of a non-refundable service fee of FRW 2,000,000 as a requisite for the legal personality application, paid to the national treasury;
(f) notarized declaration of exclusive representation of the legal representative and his or her deputy certifying that they do not serve as representatives of any other organization registered in Rwanda;
(g) an equivalence certificate of a certificate or degree in theology obtained by the Legal Representative and his or her deputy from foreign higher learning institutions, issued by the competent authority;
(h) an evidence of religious studies completion demonstrating that the legal representative and his or her deputy, whose qualifications are unrelated to theology, have completed at least 1,200 hours of religious studies from an institution accredited by the competent authority.
