Final moments of Rajiv’s life

KAMPALA - When 35-year-old Rajiv Ruparelia left the Ruparelia residence in Kololo on Saturday, May 3, 2025, no one knew he would be dead in the next 54 minutes. 

He left home at around 1:00am to prepare for the wedding of his friend, Jonathan Butera Bahizi, at Speke Resort Munyonyo, Kampala. 

According to family and friends, the deceased had jetted into the country last Wednesday ahead of the wedding slated for Saturday, the day he died. 

“On Thursday, he had lunch with his father at the office, and on Friday evening, he had dinner with his mother,” a family friend said. 

“He later joined his friends briefly for an evening out and later went home, got into his favourite car, drove to go and sleep in Munyonyo so that he could accompany his friend Bahizi to All Saints Cathedral for the wedding, where he was going to be one of the groomsmen. Unfortunately, fate had other plans,” the family friend added. 

Veteran journalist, Andrew Mwenda (a close family friend), said: “Even though Rajiv had a driver on the fateful day, the driver took his clothes to Munyonyo and he chose to drive himself in his sports car.” 

On the fateful day, Rajiv, son of Sudhir Ruparelia, Uganda’s top business mogul, was driving one of his favourite high-powered machines — a Nissan GT-R. 

“He was going to Munyonyo so that he could drive in the convoy with the groom to the church this morning — that is when the accident happened. It was sudden and fatal,” Mwenda said. 

“He had an official driver but he was also a motor rally driver, and the car he was driving was one of the fastest in the world. When you are a sports driver, driving a car like that in the night when there are no other cars on the road... he was certainly doing his thing. 
The car had just been fully refurbished, so he was going at a very fast speed,” Mwenda added. 

Rajiv Ruparelia (centre) with wife Naiya Khagram Ruparelia (left) and his mother, Jyotsna Ruparelia during a light moment.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage along the expressway, seen by the New Vision, captured Rajiv’s car at 1:52am speeding along the road before he got involved in the fatal accident two minutes later at 1:54am. 

Police’s traffic and safety directorate spokesperson, Michael Kananura, said the Saturday morning crash involved a Nissan GT-R motor vehicle registration number UAT 638L, which was travelling from Kajjansi towards Munyonyo. 

“The vehicle crashed, overturned, and burst into flames, burning the sole occupant to death,” he said. 

A senior government official said, “I always use this route when going to Kigo. The barriers at Busabala were reinstated about four days ago. However, for the past three days, the solar-powered lights have not been working fully, and there has been no visible warning signage to alert road users. This was sheer negligence.” 

Mwenda added: “Rajiv was driving very fast and was not aware of barriers in the middle of the road section at Busabala. Rajiv, who was not aware of the restrictions, hit at high speed. The car overturned, flew into the air for about 80 metres and crashed down in a ball of fire. He was completely burnt and he died instantly,” Mwenda said. 

According to Rashid Mutumba, a bodaboda cyclist and resident in the area, rescue efforts could not save Rajiv. 

“We heard a loud bang, and then, we suddenly saw the car engulfed in a ball of fire. We rushed to the scene, but there was little we could do,” he said. Andrew Agaba, a resident of Busabala noted that of late, the road had turned into a death-trap. 

“I have even witnessed a Mark-X car catch fire after an accident at the same junction,” he said. 

David Soita Masinde, another Busabala resident, noted that: “Despite the persistent complaints from residents about the hazardous temporary barriers at Busabala junction, the works ministry has failed to address these glaring safety concerns.” 

Patrick Oyullu, a public health specialist, also questioned why the barriers had been placed dangerously at Busabala. What was its purpose? Who sanctioned it? Why was it there at that hour, without warning, lightning or logic? A barricade, by its very definition, is meant to protect. 

To guide. To prevent harm. But in this case, it became the architect of death. And if indeed it was haphazardly placed by a negligent contractor, a lazy construction team or an unbothered arm of government, then someone must be held accountable. A man is dead. Not from recklessness behind the wheel, but from the recklessness of policy,” he said. 

Road users have since called for plastic barriers instead of concrete barriers that road contractors use in most areas across the country.

The Ruparelia family formally cremated Rajiv Ruparelia on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 2:30pm at the Hindu Crematorium at Lugogo. (All Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba)

Breaking the news to Sudhir 

Mwenda said Rajiv’s friend, Bahizi, was among the first people on the scene, together with Ahmed Bongomin, Sudhir’s handler. 

“Bongomin called me at around 2:00am informing me of Rajiv’s death. When we arrived, we organised an ambulance and a doctor to take away the remains,” he said. 

“We were worried about how to break the news to Sudhir, who has heart problems and high blood pressure. However, we were able to break the news to them at around 4:00am,” he said. 

Bongomin said: “We had to break the news to his father but the first person I called was Mwenda. I then called Bob Kabonero (owner of Kampala Casino). We then had a meeting in Kololo, and the onus was given to me to break the news to the father. I went to his bedroom and with Mwenda, we woke him up and sat with him on his bed. In the process we told him Rajiv had been involved in an accident but was in a bad condition.” 

Sudhir asked: “Is it a fatal accident?” to which Bongomin said: “We are going to lose him. Kindly get dressed up.” Bongomin said Sudhir then went into the bathroom to take a bath but delayed and they thought he had got a problem. 

“I followed to check and when in the bathroom, he asked me how fatal is it? I told him, we leave it to God, but the way I was seeing, we might lose him. He exclaimed and told me, ‘Oh God.” 

As we were leaving, he had forgotten his eye glasses and I asked him to go back and collect them. As we left his bedroom and were at the doorway, I hugged him and told him, boss, Rajiv is dead,” he said. 

Bongomin said that after breaking the news to Sudhir, they then (with Mwenda) proceeded to Jyotsna’s bedroom. 

“She was praying at the time, and when we knocked on the door, she asked why I was knocking on her door at that time. I told her we had gotten an accident. She told me to tell her and not waste time. ‘Is it Rajiv? Is he dead?” Jyotsna asked me. And I said yes,” he added. 

Mwenda told New Vision that Jyotsna showed them her messages to Rajiv’s driver, one which she had sent at midnight, in which she had asked, where Rajiv was, and the driver said he had given him his clothes and asked that they be dropped at Munyonyo. At 4:02am, three minutes before the group broke the news to her, she had sent another message asking whether the driver had dropped Rajiv at Munyonyo.

The car 

The Nissan GT-R is a twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V6 beast capable of producing up to 565 horsepower and 633 Nm of torque. 

It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.9 seconds, and boasts a top speed of over 310 km/h, making it one of the fastest production cars on the road today. 

GT-R stands for Gran Turismo – Racing. Gran Turismo translates to Grand Touring. The core elements of the GT-R design are for high performance, luxury experience and long-distance racing. 

In other words, they are designed to go fast, go far, and make you feel like a movie star.

National tragedy 

Rajiv’s death is not just a tragedy for the Ruparelia family. It is a national heartbreak. A promising light extinguished far too soon. A man of vision, energy and generosity — gone in an instant. 

The son of billionaire businessman Dr Sudhir Ruparelia, Rajiv was more than just an heir to an empire — he was a force of purpose and possibility. From a young age, Rajiv seemed destined for greatness. Born on January 2, 1990 and educated at top schools in the United Kingdom, he could have chosen a life of quiet comfort abroad. 

Instead, he returned home with a mission — to build, to uplift and to lead. At only 27, he took over the reins of the Ruparelia Group as managing director and breathed new life into the empire. 

With boundless energy and sharp vision, he expanded the group’s reach across Uganda — creating thousands of jobs, growing investment in real estate, banking, insurance, hospitality, agriculture and education. But Rajiv was not just a businessman. He was a dreamer with discipline. A leader with a heart. 

A man who believed that Uganda could rise if only more people were given the chance to shine. His vision for education was never just about numbers — it was about opening doors. 

Rajiv introduced flexible tuition payment plans, scholarships and job-based study programmes so that even the poorest could afford a seat in the lecture hall. 

Through the Ruparelia Foundation, more than 3,000 underprivileged students received scholarships — many of them becoming the first in their families to attend university. 

His efforts weren’t just acts of charity — they were acts of faith in a better future.

Rajiv’s touch reached even further. From the halls of Kampala Parents’ School to the international classrooms of KISU and Delhi Public School International, he helped nurture the minds of children from over 30 countries.

He believed that education should be practical, digital and empowering to all.

 Now, that soul is grieving. In a world hungry for good men, we have lost one of the best. The Ruparelia family formally cremated Rajiv Ruparelia on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 2:30pm at the Hindu Crematorium at Lugogo.