The Government has proposed stringent measures on registration and functions of faith-based organisations due to an increase in fraud cases and security concerns.

According to a draft law recently tabled at the lower chamber in parliament by the Minister in charge of Presidency, faith-based organisations will be compelled to report their plans to government agencies in advance, as well as getting permits before starting their operations.

The government says the new law will protect followers from misinformation and extortion.

“There is an increase in conflicts within churches and this is related to a mushrooming of new churches. Under the proposed law, the government will be able to intervene during conflicts in order to find resolutions,” said Judith Uwizeye, the Minister in the Office of the President during the presentation of the draft law.

The draft law also proposes administrative penalties such as revoking their legal status or blocking church leaders from their church services. Faith-based organisations will also be required to get a permit in advance from both the Rwanda Governance Board and local government.

“Local administration officials could turn down a proposal from a faith-based organisation to set up outlets in their governing territory, especially if there are too many churches in the area.

For instance, within Kigali City we have an average of two worship houses at the village level and there are some villages with five churches, in such a case district officials could determine that there are enough churches so no more are needed,” said Ms Uwizeye.

According to the government, under the liberal charter of establishing faith-based organisations, there was a widespread increase in faith-based organisations, with current official figures estimating over 700 faith-based organisations and over 15,000 houses of worship countrywide.

The government recently embarked on a large scale crackdown down on substandard houses of worshiping, closing thousands of churches and dozens of mosques whose makeshift operations were putting their followers lives at stake.

The crackdown saw over 7,000 houses of worship closed across the country. Under the proposed law on new registration, the faith-based organisations will have to have qualified people serving in key positions. Pastors will have to have a theology degree before starting their own churches.