Lawyer sues Chinese contractor over Rajiv's road crash
Deceased Ugandan businessman Rajiv Ruparelia (inset). To the right is the wreckage of the car in which he died on May 3, 2025. PHOTO/COMBO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Rajiv, 35, was driving a Nissan GT-R (Reg. UAT 658H) around 1:54 am, when his vehicle hit the barriers at the Busabala Flyover junction, overturned and burst into flames. The incident occurred just hours before he was to stand as a groomsman at his best friend’s wedding.
A case filed in the High Court of Uganda may set new standards for public safety and accountability in road construction following the demise of businessman Rajiv Ruparelia in a grisly crash after his car rammed into road barriers, Wakiso District.
Mr Joshua Okello, a lawyer and civic rights activist, filed the case seeking orders against the contractor, China State Construction Engineering Corporation, which is the respondent.
Mr Okello accuses the road construction firm of gross negligence for erecting unmarked concrete barriers on Kajjansi-Munyonyo Road, where Rajiv, the son of property mogul Sudhir Ruparelia, met his death in the early hours of May 3, 2025.
Rajiv, 35, was driving a Nissan GT-R (Reg. UAT 658H) around 1:54 am, when his vehicle hit the barriers at the Busabala Flyover junction, overturned and burst into flames. The incident occurred just hours before he was to stand as a groomsman at his best friend’s wedding.
In his application, Mr Okello is seeking court orders which include a ban on the respondent’s agents from placing road barriers at night without proper signage, a declaration that such barriers disrupt traffic flow and pose fatal risks, a mandamus order compelling the government to complete road construction projects while directing the respondent to construct standard and safe roads and the costs of the application to be borne by the respondent.
In the affidavit filed in support, Mr Okello claims the accident that killed Rajiv and others before him is a result of delayed, substandard, and hazardous roadwork, driven by mismanagement and lack of oversight.
He cited a public exchange between Gen Edward Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport, and Eng. Isaac Wani, Acting Commissioner for Roads, who admitted that road construction often suffers long delays due to procedural issues such as site clearance and compaction.
“The actions of the respondent are discriminative and amount to unequal treatment of Ugandans as they violate the Constitution, equity and good conscience,” reads the affidavit.
Mr Okello, a resident of Campsawahili Ward, Soroti City East, emphasized that the case is not just about one man, but but in public interest in holding contractors accountable for life-threatening negligence on Uganda’s roads.
He contends that the court has the jurisdiction and moral duty to correct the anomaly before more lives are lost.
“This application is brought in good faith and in public interest,” he affirms in his affidavit. “Unless this court grants the prayers sought, injustice will prevail.”
The court is expected to set a hearing date soon, with both the applicant and the respondent expected to appear or be represented by counsel.
