Police in Kigali over the weekend raided four churches, confiscated their sound equipment and arrested the church heads for violating laws against noise pollution.

This comes days after the Ministry of Internal Security threatened to sanction places of worship over unbearable noise.

Also arrested in the same operation were eight bar owners and one DJ, whose joints were generating unbearable noise.

According to Rwanda Environment Management Authority, noise pollution in the country is determined when sound goes beyond 80 decibel (db). Bell is the unit through which noise is measured.

80 db is the level at which sound is physically painful. And can be termed as noise.Police Spokesperson in Kigali City SP Modeste Mbabazi said those arrested face charges of noise pollution and the operation followed public complaints that the affected churches and bars were sources of deafening noise.

The suspects, whose premises remain operational, were paraded at Muhima Police Station yesterday.

Religious based organisations in the City of Kigali, on September 17, were involved in a dialogue that discussed means to reduce noise pollution emanating from these institutions but some have kept a deaf ear of which police has an obligation to enforce the law, Mbabazi explained.

The affected worship centres are Restoration Church Remera, Shinning Light Church, Anglican Church Kibagabaga and ADEPR Kacyiru.

Mbabazi added that case files for those who were arrested are already done and would soon be sent to prosecution.

He called on churches and bars generating unbearable noise to establish sound proofs at their facilities.

Article 600 of the Penal code states that, any person found guilty of making noise and night disturbance in a way that causes trouble among people, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of eight days to two months and a fine of Rwf 50,000 to Rwf 1 million or one of these penalties.

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