GASABO - Effective yesterday, Rusororo Cemetery, started receiving burials as Gasabo District authorities announced the immediate closure of Remera Cemetery.

The first burial at Rusororo was expected yesterday afternoon.

According to the Coordinator of Infrastructure and Land Bureau in Gasabo, Eng. John Karamage, Rusororo Cemetery is ready to take in new burials, noting that the Remera cemetery was already full beyond capacity, hence its abrupt closure.

Engineers behind the facility say that the burial ground fulfils internationally required standards, revealing that it is specially made to take in many burials at a time.

Unlike other cemeteries countrywide, tombs at Rusororo Cemetery are systematically arranged according to financial ability.

Categories are divided into three; the high standing category (first class), the medium standing (middle class) and the bar standing (lower class) categories.

Rusororo cemetery is laid out on 12 hectares of land with graves at the new burial ground at a depth of 1.4 meters with pathways of 60cm in between the graves.

The burial cost at the new cemetery is determined by the above-mentioned categories.

The medium standing costs Rwf 280,000, and this includes a constructed grave, tent, chairs, lowering device, poll bearers in black suits and white gloves while burial costs in the high standing category (first class) starts from Rwf500,000 depending on the type of tiles used in and on the grave.

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

The new cemetery has an average capacity of 13,200 graves and at the current rate of deaths; 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 counseling section, body repatriation, treatment and embalming.

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