Majority of Burundian citizens have hailed the government’s move to ban citizens from going to worshipping places during the working hours in week days.
The government through the minister of interior wrote a letter to local administrators to prohibit citizens to worship during the week days, citing that it impacts self-development and country’s prosperity.
“It’s a relief, because some husbands will be able to come home for lunch,” said Gyslaine Niyonkuru a citizen in Bujumbura. The Burundi government said that the move will be implemented without infringing on freedom of worship.
The government called on the local administration to implement the decision from the country’s minister of internal affairs.
“We invite the governors of the provinces, the mayor of the city and the inspector general of the police to prohibit all worship taking place during service hours every working day and any noise at night,” a letter reads dated Thursday October 14th, 2021.
In the same letter the country’s minister of internal affairs Gervais Ndirakobuca Indicated that only those with a special permission, can exercise their worship during the hours of service from Monday to Friday.
Gitega said that it is a decision taken in order to allow the population in general and the faithful of different religious denominations in particular to get down to their daily activities which will allow them to increase production.
The Permanent Secretary from the Ministry of the internal affairs Martin Ninteretse said that before the approval worshipping places had to submit their worship programs, thus being granted the authorization.
“All religious denominations have worship programs that have been submitted to the Ministry of Physical Record for approval. So no worship program has worship service during service hours,” said Mr. Ninteretse.
“All people have to go about their daily activities to increase production during working hours…secondly the faithful do not have jobs in religious denominations. They need to work daily for self-development, develop their households and develop their country,” said the ministry of internal affairs spokesman.
“It was weird, imagine a woman who breastfeeds a baby of two months old and spends the whole day without eating until 3pm. My neighbor confessed and said sometimes she felt dizzy,” said Nyabenda Annick a resident in Bujumbura.
Despite the majority hailing the government’s move, some never welcomed the decision by the government.
“It’s our right to pray whenever we want as congregants we find it as a violation of Human Rights,” said one of the citizens who preferred to reveal his name.
This comes as the country has seen a rapid growth of churches country wide, while other congregants have turned their homes to be places of practicing their faith.