Rwanda has put a curfew on all “non-essential services” in order to combat “noise pollution,” a move that has enraged nightclub owners, who claim it would harm their company.
“For effective regulation of night-time entertainment and noise pollution, the Cabinet established closing time of non-essential services at 1 am on working days, and 2 am on weekends (Friday and Saturday), effective September 1st 2023,” the government announced late Tuesday.
Under President Paul Kagame’s hardline administration, authorities in the east African nation have cracked down on noise pollution, ordering pubs to close and stealing equipment from entertainment facilities.
According to one nightclub owner who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity, the new rules are “backward and will definitely kill businesses.”
The government published noise pollution standards this month, restricting sound levels in commercial zones at night to 55 decibels.
