The late Rajiv Ruparelia and wreckage of the car in which he lost his life
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The report on the cause of the tragic death of Rajiv Ruparelia, the son to city mogul Sudhir Ruparelia on 3rd May 2025, is again making tears roll down the cheeks of many Ugandans, who considered him a darling.
Son to Sudhir Ruparelia, who was aged 35, died while driving one of his favourite high powered machines, which many believed he was about to use during his come back to motor rallying. He was driving a Nissan GT-R motor vehicle registration number UAT 638L which was traveling from Kajjansi towards Munyonyo.
According to the report, issued by the Traffic and Safety Directorate, Raviv, who was the Managing Director of Ruparelia Group of Companies, died in the wee hours of Saturday morning as a result of high speed and barriers that were set up along the Munyonyo-Entebbe-Expressway.
The police ruled out foul play, saying that the death was as a result of human error, amplified by ongoing road works along the expressway.
The directorate spokesperson, SP Michael Kananura said that CCTV footage along the Expressway captured Rajiv’s car at 1:52 am, speed along the road before he got involved in the fatal accident two minutes later at 1:52 am.
“The driver lost control of the vehicle after ramming into concrete barriers placed at the roundabout section of the flyover,” reads part of the report, a copy of which Habari Daily has seen.
Police conceded that the barriers placed along the road had no clear warnings to motorists plying the road.
The car overturned and flew into the air for about 80 meters and crashed down in a ball of fire. Rajiv was completely burnt and he died instantly.
Police however pointed out that it seemed Rajiv was not aware of the barriers in the middle of the road section at Busabala and hit them at high speed. The late was away in the UK for several months, and had just flown into the country to attend the weeding of his close friend, Buteera.
The Police report revelation came as city tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia unveiled RR Pearl Business Park Tower One on Yusuf Lule Road in memory of Rajiv. The 19-storey building was first named Park Tower One, before Sudhir added RR, the initials for Rajiv Ruparelia.
The ill-feted car that killed Rajiv
The Nissan GT-R is a twin-turbocharged 3.8 litre vehicle that is capable of producing up to 565 horsepower and 633 Nm of torque. It’s designed for high performance, luxury experience and long distance racing.
This vehicle is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h, making it one of the fastest production cars on the road today. The vehicle is also equipped with advanced all-wheel drive (AWD) and multi-mode adjustable suspension, designed to maintain high levels of grip and stability at extreme speeds.
It also boasts of a dual-clutch transmission that delivers lightning-fast gear shifts, while the sophisticated Vehicle Dynamic Control (VCD) system helps maintain control in sharp turns during sudden braking.
All these sophisticated features call for the highest level of caution from the driver.
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