diff --git a/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass b/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
index 4805944ccb..00117a6cd8 100644
--- a/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/kernel.bbclass
@@ -301,7 +301,9 @@ if [ x"$D" = "x" ]; then
 fi
 }
 
-python populate_packages_prepend () {
+PACKAGESPLITFUNCS_prepend = "split_kernel_packages "
+
+python split_kernel_packages () {
     import re
 
     modinfoexp = re.compile("([^=]+)=(.*)")
diff --git a/meta/classes/package.bbclass b/meta/classes/package.bbclass
index a93fef984c..6e7e06ed53 100644
--- a/meta/classes/package.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/package.bbclass
@@ -1759,6 +1759,9 @@ PACKAGEBUILDPKGD ?= " \
                 ${PACKAGE_PREPROCESS_FUNCS} \
                 split_and_strip_files \
                 fixup_perms \
+                "
+# Functions which split PKGD up into separate packages
+PACKAGESPLITFUNCS ?= " \
                 package_do_split_locales \
                 populate_packages"
 # Functions which process metadata based on split packages
@@ -1798,6 +1801,9 @@ python do_package () {
     for f in (d.getVar('PACKAGEBUILDPKGD', True) or '').split():
         bb.build.exec_func(f, d)
 
+    for f in (d.getVar('PACKAGESPLITFUNCS', True) or '').split():
+        bb.build.exec_func(f, d)
+
     # Build global list of files in each split package
     global pkgfiles
     pkgfiles = {}
diff --git a/meta/classes/update-alternatives.bbclass b/meta/classes/update-alternatives.bbclass
index 90bc56b9fb..8f4d0976a9 100644
--- a/meta/classes/update-alternatives.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/update-alternatives.bbclass
@@ -282,7 +282,9 @@ python perform_packagecopy_append () {
                     bb.warn('%s: Unable to resolve dangling symlink: %s' % (pn, alt_target))
 }
 
-python populate_packages_prepend () {
+PACKAGESPLITFUNCS_prepend = "populate_packages_updatealternatives "
+
+python populate_packages_updatealternatives () {
     pn = d.getVar('BPN', True)
 
     # Do actual update alternatives processing
diff --git a/meta/classes/update-rc.d_real.bbclass b/meta/classes/update-rc.d_real.bbclass
index 0cd671fe77..f9d55fbec8 100644
--- a/meta/classes/update-rc.d_real.bbclass
+++ b/meta/classes/update-rc.d_real.bbclass
@@ -47,7 +47,9 @@ python __anonymous() {
     update_rc_after_parse(d)
 }
 
-python populate_packages_prepend () {
+PACKAGESPLITFUNCS_prepend = "populate_packages_updatercd "
+
+python populate_packages_updatercd () {
     def update_rcd_package(pkg):
         bb.debug(1, 'adding update-rc.d calls to postinst/postrm for %s' % pkg)
         """