Uganda's motorsport community gather to honor Rajiv Ruparelia, son of billionaire Sudhir Ruparelia, one year after his death

One year after Rajiv Ruparelia died in a rally car crash on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, Uganda's motorsport community came together Sunday to honor his memory with a procession through the capital, a blood donation drive at Mulago National Referral Hospital and a candlelight vigil at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

Rajiv, the only son of billionaire industrialist Sudhir Ruparelia and his wife Jyotsna, died in the early hours of May 3, 2025. He was 35. His high-performance Nissan GT-R collided with temporary pavement barriers at the Busabala Flyover and caught fire. At the time of his death, he was the managing director of Ruparelia Group, one of East Africa's largest conglomerates with interests in banking, insurance, education, real estate, hospitality and floriculture.

The memorial procession, organized by TT Drags and Drifts UG under the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of Uganda, started at RR Pearl Tower One on Yusuf Lule Road, a building named in Rajiv's memory, before moving through Jinja Road and Entebbe Road toward Busabala roundabout, where floral tributes were laid. The convoy then proceeded to Speke Resort Munyonyo, where Rajiv had served as a director, and closed with prayers and a candle-lighting ceremony at the marina.

Stuart Kimera, chairperson of the organizing committee, described Rajiv as someone whose reach extended far beyond motorsport. "We celebrate Rajiv because he transformed lives, not only in motorsport but also at a humanitarian level. His reach into communities was profound, and it is only fitting that we honour such a life," Kimera said.

Charles Kakaire, president of the Street Racers Club Uganda, confirmed that leading rally drivers joined the convoy. A prosthetic leg donation programme at Mulago's orthopaedic department ran alongside the blood drive, reflecting the humanitarian character of the Ruparelia Foundation's ongoing work in Rajiv's name.

Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia issued a public tribute marking the anniversary. "To lose a son is to carry a silence the world cannot hear," they wrote in a statement shared on social media. "As one year has passed, we have come to understand that grief is not something to overcome, but something we learn to live with, holding close the love that will never fade." They extended gratitude to the community that had supported them, saying the prayers and compassion shown had been a source of strength.

Rajiv had been active in Ugandan motorsport since 2019, competing in events including the Kayunga Autocross, Kalangala Rally, Mbarara Rally and Kabalega Rally. He founded the Rajiv Ruparelia Rally Team and served as patron of the Central Motorsport Club. In October 2025, the National Rally Championship dedicated a round in Gulu to his memory.

The Ruparelia Group is built on a fortune assembled by Sudhir Ruparelia over four decades and spans the Crane Bank successor entities, Speke Resort, Kabira Country Club, Ruparelia Foundation, and a significant real estate and educational portfolio. Rajiv had been the designated inheritor of that structure and the face of its next generation. His absence leaves a gap in both the family business and the motorsport community he had been quietly building in Uganda.