Rajiv Ruparelia, Managing Director of the Ruparelia Group and a dynamic force in Uganda’s business, real estate, and philanthropic landscape, tragically passed away in the early hours of May 3, 2025, at just 35 years of age. He was the son of Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, Uganda’s self-made billionaire and Chairman of the Ruparelia Group. The news of his sudden death in a car accident at the Busabala Flyover has reverberated across Uganda and the East African business community.
Born on January 2, 1990, Rajiv was heir to one of the region’s most successful family-owned business empires, but he was never content to simply inherit. Instead, he forged a unique path—redefining the Ruparelia Group’s identity for the 21st century with a keen focus on real estate development, urban transformation, and inclusive prosperity.
Chip off the old block – a real estate visionary
While Rajiv’s leadership spanned numerous sectors—from education to agriculture and recruitment—it was in real estate that he left his most indelible mark. Little wonder he was the son of Sudhir, Uganda’s biggest property magnate. As Managing Director of Meera Investments Ltd, the Group’s real estate arm and Uganda’s largest private property developer, Rajiv led an aggressive expansion, building on his old man’s foundation, reshaping the skylines of Kampala and its suburbs.
From 2014 to 2024, Meera Investments added over 37 new developments across commercial, residential, industrial, and hospitality categories. This included landmark buildings in Kampala’s central business district, upscale apartment complexes, and modern office parks. His work helped address the growing demand for high-quality urban housing, retail space, and commercial offices in a rapidly urbanizing Uganda.
Under Rajiv’s vision, Crane Management Services (CMS), the property management subsidiary of the Group, expanded to oversee more than 300 properties with over 5 million square feet of leasable space. These developments serve a daily footfall of nearly 200,000 people, equivalent to about 5% of Kampala’s daytime population. CMS became synonymous with organized, professionally managed urban real estate, bringing world-class property standards to Uganda.
Rajiv also launched Triiio Developments Ltd, a design-led real estate development company focused on sustainable urban living. Triiio delivered iconic projects such as Tagore Living—a boutique 28-unit residential complex targeting Kampala’s upper-middle class. These developments featured environmentally conscious designs, smart home technologies, and community-oriented layouts, setting a new benchmark in luxury living.
His passion for real estate was not limited to bricks and mortar. Rajiv viewed property development as a tool for social and economic transformation. Many of the Group’s buildings included integrated features like startup hubs, green spaces, and youth training centres, blending commercial viability with public value.
The Scion of Uganda’s Most Powerful Business Family
Rajiv Ruparelia was born into wealth, but he never took it for granted. As the only son of Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, Uganda’s most prominent and successful businessman, Rajiv was groomed for leadership from an early age. Dr. Sudhir, a self-made billionaire who rose from modest beginnings, built the Ruparelia Group into a USD 1.1 billion empire spanning real estate, finance, education, hospitality, media, and agriculture.
Rajiv inherited not just a position but a philosophy: wealth must be created with purpose and reinvested in the society that makes it possible. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from Regents College London and returned to Uganda with a clear mission—to modernize, diversify, and expand the Group’s legacy.
By 2017, at just 27, Rajiv was appointed Managing Director of the Group with his father stepping into a more guiding Chairman role. He embraced this responsibility with energy, infusing the conglomerate with a tech-driven, socially conscious approach. Over the next eight years, he oversaw a dramatic expansion, growing the Group’s employment base to over 8,500 Ugandans, creating over 15,000 jobs, and establishing new ventures in real estate, recruitment, education, and agribusiness.
He played a key role in expanding the Speke Group of Hotels, whose portfolio included Speke Resort Munyonyo, Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, Kabira Country Club, and the new Speke Resort Convention Centre—a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) facility that hosted over 1,900 delegates during the 2024 NAM and G77+China Summits. These investments not only bolstered Uganda’s tourism infrastructure but positioned the country as a viable destination for international business events.
Whether it was transforming Kampala’s skyline or pioneering sustainable living solutions, Rajiv viewed real estate as a long-term commitment to national development.
Empowering Through Education and Employment
Rajiv’s passion for real estate was matched only by his belief in education as a foundation for national progress. As Promoter and Managing Director of Victoria University, he drove enrollment from just 143 students in 2013 to over 8,700 by 2024. The Ruparelia Group’s education ventures spanned all levels from primary like Kampala Parents School and Delhi Public School to Victoria University and the Kampala International School Uganda.
He introduced flexible tuition models and awarded over 3,000 scholarships through the Ruparelia Foundation Talent Programme, targeting underprivileged students with high potential. Child stars Fresh Kid and Felista were beneficiaries of full scholarships at foundation level that transformed their lives.
Rajiv’s educational vision was tightly linked to his real estate work. Several of the Group’s properties were designed to accommodate learning institutions. His education and real estate ventures worked hand-in-hand to create holistic urban ecosystems that supported both learning and living.
Youth Employment and Labour Mobility
Beyond creating spaces, Rajiv worked to ensure that Uganda’s youth had the skills and opportunities to thrive within them. Through Premier Recruitment Ltd, which he founded in 2017, he facilitated over 5,800 overseas job placements, 89% of which were for women. His recruitment companies helped thousands of Ugandan youth secure income-generating roles in global markets.
This effort dovetailed with his real estate and hospitality interests, as many of the candidates trained under his firms found employment in construction, tourism, and hotel management—industries fueled by the very properties Rajiv helped build.
A Sportsperson and National Icon
Rajiv’s dynamic energy extended beyond boardrooms and building sites. A national golf champion at age 16, he maintained a lifelong passion for sport, most notably excelling in rally driving. In 2021, he won his first National Rally Championship event, becoming a symbol of youthful ambition and competitive spirit. He also served as Chairperson of the Central Motor Club, promoting motorsport among young Ugandans.
Through the Ruparelia Foundation, Rajiv invested in youth sports, providing kits, facilities, and mentorship. His corporate sports gala brought together staff from over 30 companies, promoting wellness and unity.
Philanthropy with a Developer’s Precision
Philanthropy was not an afterthought in Rajiv’s world—it was a strategic priority. As a trustee of the Ruparelia Foundation, he oversaw the donation of over UGX 35 billion (USD 9.5 million) to healthcare, disaster relief, sports, wildlife conservation, and education. Notably, he led the innovative Kamwokya Slums Eco-toilet Campaign, constructing sanitation infrastructure from eco-bricks made of recycled plastic.
This campaign was emblematic of Rajiv’s ethos: solve real problems with scalable, sustainable solutions. Whether it was a school toilet or a skyscraper, Rajiv brought the same level of precision, empathy, and vision.
A Legacy Carved in Stone, Steel, and Spirit
Rajiv Ruparelia’s life, though heartbreakingly brief, was one of intense achievement and deep impact. He leaves behind a real estate empire that redefined Uganda’s urban narrative, educational institutions that will produce generations of leaders, and philanthropic programs that uplift thousands.
He is survived by his beloved wife, his parents Dr. Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia, and siblings, along with a vast community of employees, partners, and beneficiaries who saw in him a torchbearer of a better Uganda.
Rajiv’s passing is not just a loss to his family or to the Ruparelia Group. It is a loss to a country that saw in him the promise of a new generation—visionary, bold, and committed to transformation. In every building that houses a family, every job that feeds a home, and every child that dreams bigger because of an education they received, Rajiv Ruparelia lives on.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
