diff --git a/meta/classes-recipe/memory-control.bbclass b/meta/classes-recipe/memory-control.bbclass
index 4b45720a1d..ebde5ed46b 100644
--- a/meta/classes-recipe/memory-control.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes-recipe/memory-control.bbclass
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ MEMORY_LIMIT ?= ""
 MEMORY_LIMIT_SERVICE ?= "${PN}.service"
 MEMORY_OOM_POLICY ?= "reboot"
 
-RDEPENDS:${PN} += "memory-control"
+# Only inject the runtime dependency when the distro actually has systemd;
+# memory-control itself requires the systemd DISTRO_FEATURE.
+RDEPENDS:${PN} += "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'systemd', 'memory-control', '', d)}"
 
 python memory_control_do_install() {
     import os
diff --git a/meta/conf/distro/include/maintainers.inc b/meta/conf/distro/include/maintainers.inc
index 4c6307086c..8589a67fa4 100644
--- a/meta/conf/distro/include/maintainers.inc
+++ b/meta/conf/distro/include/maintainers.inc
@@ -520,6 +520,7 @@ RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-matchbox-wm = "Ross Burton <ross.burton@arm.com>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-mc = "Ross Burton <ross.burton@arm.com>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-mdadm = "Ross Burton <ross.burton@arm.com>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-menu-cache = "Ross Burton <ross.burton@arm.com>"
+RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-memory-control = "Ishaan Desai <Ishaan.Desai@ibm.com>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-mesa = "Unassigned <unassigned@yoctoproject.org>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-mesa-demos = "Unassigned <unassigned@yoctoproject.org>"
 RECIPE_MAINTAINER:pn-mesa-gl = "Unassigned <unassigned@yoctoproject.org>"
diff --git a/meta/recipes-support/memory-control/memory-control_1.0.bb b/meta/recipes-support/memory-control/memory-control_1.0.bb
index 3740b783b6..56b156be4b 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-support/memory-control/memory-control_1.0.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-support/memory-control/memory-control_1.0.bb
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ BUGTRACKER = "https://bugzilla.yoctoproject.org"
 LICENSE = "MIT"
 LIC_FILES_CHKSUM = "file://${COMMON_LICENSE_DIR}/MIT;md5=0835ade698e0bcf8506ecda2f7b4f302"
 
-inherit systemd
+inherit systemd features_check
+
+REQUIRED_DISTRO_FEATURES = "systemd"
 
 SRC_URI = " \
     file://memory-control.sh \
@@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ SRC_URI = " \
 SYSTEMD_SERVICE:${PN} = ""
 SYSTEMD_AUTO_ENABLE = "disable"
 
-RDEPENDS:${PN} = "bash systemd"
+RDEPENDS:${PN} = "bash"
 
 do_install() {
     install -d ${D}${bindir}