By MOSES K. GAHIGI

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Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame says he might introduce a tax on church collections, seeking to tame what has turned out to be extortion and exploitative tendencies by evangelical clerics.

In his first address after taking a new oath of office this week, the Rwandan head of state, strongly criticised church leaders who masquerade under the cover of God to manipulate and “squeeze money” from people.

“These unscrupulous people who use religion and churches to manipulate and fleece people of their money and other things, will force us to introduce a tax, so churches pay tax on the money they get from people,” he said.

Rwandan authorities said this week they had closed down about 8,000 churches for operating illegally and not fulfilling infrastructural requirements.

Read: Kagame warns Catholic pilgrims who 'worship poverty'

Speaking after presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of the re-appointed Prime Minister, Edouard Ngirente, and new members of parliament, Mr Kagame said he would go for more rogue preachers and their churches.

The poor are targeted

“If truth is to be told, these mushrooming churches are just there to squeeze even the last penny from poor Rwandans, as those who own them enrich themselves,” said Mr Kagame.

Rwanda has recently seen an increasing number of Pentecostal churches, many of which build their churches on prosperity gospel doctrine, attracting more poor folk. “We have seen cases of these cult leaders even leading people to their deaths, through manipulation and brainwashing them to starve to death and do all sorts of other things, it has happened in other countries.

It is not just Rwanda that has struggled with regulating preachers. Uganda announced last week it will publish a white paper on regulating worship, after reports of extortion by clerics.

In Kenya, the courts are currently trying Paul Mackenzie and his followers said to have brainwashed worshippers into deadly fasting.

Read: Kenya outlaws church linked to Shakahola massacre

According to Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), the regulatory body for religious organisations, some 59.3 percent of over 13,000 churches inspected in the last month have been closed down due to non-compliance.

“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.