{"id":54221,"date":"2025-05-19T15:57:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T15:57:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/we-cannot-afford-to-risk-a-single-life-rgb-ceo-sheds-light-on-suspension-of-kwa\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T20:50:20","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:50:20","slug":"we-cannot-afford-to-risk-a-single-life-rgb-ceo-sheds-light-on-suspension-of-kwa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/we-cannot-afford-to-risk-a-single-life-rgb-ceo-sheds-light-on-suspension-of-kwa\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We cannot afford to risk a single life\u2019 \u2013 RGB CEO on suspension of \u2018Kwa Yezu Nyirimpuhwe\u2019 prayer gatherings"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to Dr. Uwicyeza, the gathering has grown far beyond the capacity of the site, resulting in repeated incidents that put lives at risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe monthly public gathering has been temporarily suspended pending the establishment of safety measures,\u201d she said, adding that, \u201cover the years, this gathering has attracted hundreds of thousands of people far exceeding the capacity of the venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her comments shared on X follow widespread public reactions on social media, where some expressed frustration at the suspension, especially given the shrine\u2019s long-standing popularity. <\/p>\n

However, Dr. Uwicyeza emphasised that the decision was driven by concern for public safety, particularly in light of recent health emergencies reported during the gatherings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAttendees undertake a 13 Km pilgrimage, many end up in ambulances or arrive exhausted and hungry. At the last gathering, a dozen people were injured,\u201d she explained. \u201cThe safety and security of Rwandans is our top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further stressed the need to protect vulnerable groups who attend in large numbers, including children, the elderly, and the sick. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to work together to ensure that the next public gathering is conducted safely and accommodates the special needs of the vulnerable (children, sick, elderly) who make up a large portion of attendees. We cannot afford to risk a single life!\u201d she stated. <\/p>\n

RGB\u2019s decision, announced on May 18, 2025, followed a chaotic incident at the April 27 gathering, where a stampede left more than ten people injured. <\/p>\n

The shrine\u2014known locally as Kwa Yezu Nyirimpuhwe (Merciful Jesus Sanctuary of Ruhango) \u2014has become one of the country\u2019s most frequented religious sites, attracting over 80,000 pilgrims per event. <\/p>\n

In early 2025, it gained international recognition and was added to the global list of Divine Mercy shrines.<\/p>\n

\"RGB\u2019s<\/figure>\n
\"Dr.<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to Dr. Uwicyeza, the gathering has grown far beyond the capacity of the site, resulting in repeated incidents that put lives at risk. \u201cThe monthly public gathering has been temporarily suspended pending the establishment of safety measures,\u201d she said, adding that, \u201cover the years, this gathering has attracted hundreds of thousands of people far […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000087506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[160],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-54221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-theophile-niyitegeka"],"bylines":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"contributors":[{"id":160,"name":"Th\u00e9ophile Niyitegeka","slug":"theophile-niyitegeka","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":3}],"featured_image":{"id":2000087506,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/ingoro_ya_yezu_nyirimpuhwe_igiye_gushyirwa_ku_rwego_mpuzamahanga-5a4b6.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54221\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000087506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54221"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=54221"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=54221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}