The late Rajiv Ruparelia
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The remains of Rajiv Ruparelia, the managing director of Ruparelia Group and renowned rally driver, who passed on in the wee hours of Saturday morning, are to be cremated, a close family associate has revealed.
Rajiv, the son of property mogul Sudhir Ruparelia, reportedly lost control of his Nissan GTR vehicle with registration number UAT 638L, after colliding with temporary pavements installed at the roundabout section of the flyover. The vehicle subsequently overturned and caught fire, leading to his instant death.
According to a close family associate, the body is being kept at the Uganda Funeral Services, that is currently doing a regeneration of his facial features, before a planned public viewing in a location in the Kampala neighborhood.
“He was burnt beyond recognition, and his face need to be regenerated. The rest of the body will just be left as is,” said the associate on condition of anonymity.
He said due to the current state of the body, his family has opted for cremation, instead of a burial.
The charred remains of the Nissan GTR vehicle in which Rajiv met his death
“They are yet to recover from the shock of Rajiv’s passing. But the funeral arrangements are fast taking shape, after the arrival of some of the close family members who reside in India, the United States and Canada.
Our source could however not divulge where and when the body will be cremated, promising further details at a later stage.
Rajiv, who was the managing director of the Ruparelia Group overseeing education, real estate and hospitality ventures, was being groomed as the future head of the Ruparelia family empire.
A popular rally driver, Rajiv had hurriedly returned to Kampala from London to attend the wedding of Jonathan Bahizi Buteera, the son of the former Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera.
He was set to be one of the seven groomsmen lined up to take part in the service which was scheduled for Saturday morning at All Saints Church.
Born on January 2, 1990, Rajiv, 35, returned to Uganda after earning a degree in Financial Management from Regent’s University in London. He later took charge of major projects like Kampala Boulevard, Speke Apartments and Kingdom Kampala.
