Another crash occurs at spot where Rajiv Ruparelia died
Barriers in which Rajiv's car crashed are seen on May 18, 2025 in the aftermath of another road crash. PHOTO/lBRAHIM KAVUMA
What you need to know:
- Rajiv’s death at the same spot ignited public outcry over road safety and the responsibilities of contractors at construction sites.
Barely two weeks after the death of youthful city businessperson and rally driver, Rajiv Ruparelia, who perished in a road crash at Busabala Flyover, Wakiso District, another crash occurred at the same spot. Sources said a woman driving a Subaru Legacy on Saturday night (May 17) narrowly survived death when she rammed into the same concrete barriers that ended Rajiv’s life in Makindye Ssebagabo on May 3.
Good Samaritans rushed to the scene and struggled to pull the woman out of the wrecked car. Traffic Police Spokesperson Michael Kananura confirmed the incident, saying: “It was a minor accident. There were no serious injuries, but I’m yet to get more details.”
Rajiv’s death at the same spot ignited public outcry over road safety and the responsibilities of contractors at construction sites. Mr Balaam Barugahara, the state minister for Youth and Children Affairs, urged the Ministry of Works and Transport to relocate the deadly barriers, saying the spot was increasingly claiming lives.
“I appeal to the Ministry of Works and Transport, if we have not yet received money for the construction works, let us remove all the barriers because they are so deadly. Another person died at the same spot a day after Rajiv’s death,” Mr Barugahara told reporters during Rajiv’s vigil that was held at his parents’ home in Kololo, Kampala, on May 4.
Stalled roadworks
The Inspector General of Government (IGG),Ms Beti Kamya, while paying her last respects to the late businessperson, said Rajiv’s death should be a wake-up call to contractors. “It’s a clear message to people constructing roads that their responsibility should not stop at constructing roads, but also making the space safe,” Ms Kamya said.
However, the Ministry of Works clarified that construction works on the now deadly road had stalled, after the contractor suspended works last year following delays in payment. Gen Katumba Wamala, the Works and Transport minister, said the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) suspended works last October.
The company was reportedly contracted by the now-defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) in 2021 to upgrade 11 kilometres of the road, including the flyover and supporting facilities. The construction works were expected to be completed by January 2024.
