Rwanda
Ministerial Order determining Methods for Cremation of a Dead Body and Burial of Ashes
Ministerial Order 1 of 2015
- Published in Official Gazette 29bis on 20 July 2015
- Assented to on 16 July 2015
- Commenced on 20 July 2015
- [This is the version of this document from 20 July 2015.]
Chapter One
General provisions
Article One – Purpose of this Order
This Order determines methods for cremation of a dead body and burial of its ashes.Chapter II
Cremation of a dead body and burial of ashes
Section One – Prior conditions to the cremation of a dead body
Article 2 – Application for cremation
The application for cremation shall be done by the person him/herself during his/her lifetime or by a person he/she authorised prior to the death. The application shall be done in writing or orally in presence of two (2) witnesses of majority age.The Mayor of a District where a dead body is located may approve the cremation of a dead body in case nobody is claiming it.Article 3 – Categories of dead bodies which may be cremated
The dead bodies which may be cremated shall be classified under the following categories:1°a dead body of a human being just after his/her death;2°a dead body exhumed;3°a dead body relocated;4°a dead body discovered;5°a dead body which is not claimed by anyone after the announcement by the relevant authorities.Article 4 – Rites and practices which shall be conducted before the cremation of a dead body
Before the cremation of a dead body, the following formalities shall be done:1°showing a document and witnesses approving the cremation;2°checking if the required documents are approved;3°checking if a death certificate issued by a medical doctor is available;4°registering the dead person in the register of death at the office of civil status registrar;5°removing prosthesis and other appliances from a dead body before cremation.Article 5 – Authorization of a place where a dead body shall be cremated
Authorization of a place at which a dead body shall be cremated shall be issued by the authorities in charge of cemetries and environment.Section 2 – Cremation of a dead body
Article 6 – Tools used in the cremation of a dead body
The cremation of a dead body shall be done by means of a crematory oven. Such oven shall have power on a regular basis and there shall be a provisional generator which shall replace power in case there is a power cut.Article 7 – Prohibitions during the cremation of a dead body
The cremation of more than one (1) dead body in one (1) oven shall be prohibited except when it is not possible to separate dead bodies. The cremation of a dressed dead body shall also be prohibited.Section 3 – Activities conducted after the cremation of a dead body
Article 8 – Size and type of the container in which ashes shall be kept
The container in which ashes are kept must be made in one of the following:1°clay;2°metal;3°glass;4°wood.The container into which the ashes from a dead body are kept shall not exceed ten centimetres (10 cm) of length, six centimetres (6 cm) of width and eight centimetres (8 cm) of volume.The container of the ashes shall be kept in a reserved room or in any other determined area.Article 9 – People with right to the ashes from a dead body
The ashes from a dead body shall be considered as the property of the family of the dead person or the Government.Family members can agree on keeping ashes in one (1) container or sharing the ashes as they wish.Article 10 – Identification to be recorded on the container of ashes
A container of ashes shall have the following writings or drawings:1°names of the deceased;2°his /she date of birth;3°date of death.The container of the ashes may have additional writing or drawings that may be determined by persons referred to in Article 2 of this Order.Article 11 – Place at which ashes shall be buried
The ashes in a container shall be buried in a public cemetery, a private cemetery, at home or any place which shall be determined by family members of the deceased or the Government in case the deceased does not have family.Chapter III
Final provisions
Article 12 – Repealing provision
All prior provisions contrary to this Order are hereby repealed.Article 13 – Commencement
This Order shall come into force on the date of its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Rwanda.History of this document
20 July 2015 this version
Commenced
16 July 2015
Assented to