Works on the new city cemetery located in Rusororo are progressing and according to engineers, it fits internationally required standards.

According to the Coordinator of Infrastructure and Land Bureau in Gasabo, Eng. John Karamage, the ground is being designed in such a way that the dead are buried in an orderly way and according to financial ability.

"We have three categories in the cemetery; the high standing category (first class), the medium standing (middle class) and the bar standing (lower class) categories,” he said.

Graves in the first class are tiled inside and out, those in the second class are made of concrete while the third class will not have many add-ons.

Gasabo District is currently in talks with the cemetery operator, Gasabo Funeral Management Services, to come up with burial prices.

The former cemetery in Remera has no plan and was charging Rwf180,000 for a grave with a tombstone and add-ons while that without any addition costs Rwf 10,000.

"The new cemetery is on 12 hectares (of land) but our plan is to increase the landscape coverage to 50 hectares. Currently, we are finalising ways of connecting electricity and water to the cemetery,” said Eng. Karamage.

The graves at the new burial ground are 1.4 meters deep with pathways of 60cm between the graves.

"We have made it possible to ensure that when people come here for burial, they don’t step on other graves, which is why there are connecting pathways,” Karamage said.

Part of the cemetery plan includes a chapel, eight toilets, a parking yard, and two halls that would be used for post burial receptions. Each hall has a capacity of 500 seats.

The developers have also set aside a section for Muslims since they have distinctive means of interring their dead.

"On average, two people are buried at the Remera cemetery everyday and the latest figures indicate that 9,525 people have been buried at the Remera cemetery since 2003.

The new cemetery has an average capacity of 13,200 graves and at that rate, the cemetery would be full in 18 years.

Also part of the projected future plans on the cemetery is to set up a cremation section.

Other services at the new facility will include hearses, caskets, electronic casket lowering devices and a counselling section, body repatriation, treatment and embalming.

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