Nationality Ugandan Years active 1986 - present Role Business magnate | Ethnicity Asian Ugandan Name Sudhir Ruparelia Net worth 1.12 billion USD (2015) | |
Spouse(s) Jyostna Ruparelia (m. 1977) | ||
Emikolo n embaga sudhir ruparelia part b
Sudhir Ruparelia (born 17 January 1956) is a Ugandan business magnate and investor. He is the Chairman and majority shareholder in the companies of the Ruparelia Group. His investments are mainly in the areas of banking, insurance, education, broadcasting, real estate, floriculture, hotels and resorts.
Contents
- Emikolo n embaga sudhir ruparelia part b
- Uganda s richest man sudhir ruparelia on his segway board
- Background
- Personal Life
- References
According to Forbes, he is reported to be the wealthiest individual in Uganda and the East African Community. There is an urban Ugandan legend that Sudhir owns half of the buildings in Kampala, but he denies it; he does admit to owning a quarter of the buildings in Kampala's Central Business District. In November 2013, he was reported to be the 24th wealthiest individual in Africa, with an estimated net worth of US$1.1 billion.
Uganda s richest man sudhir ruparelia on his segway board
Background
Sudhir Ruparelia was born in Kabatoro, Kasese District in Western Uganda to an upper-middle-class family. His great-grandfather reached Mombasa in 1897 and set up a trading store there before coming to Uganda in 1903. His grandfather was born in Uganda in 1918 and his father in 1932. Sudhir has two sisters and one brother. He attended Bat Valley Primary School in Kampala, from P1 to P6, then Jinja Main Street Primary School in Jinja for P7 and Jinja Secondary School. In 1971, he joined Kololo Senior Secondary School.
He moved to the United Kingdom with his parents in 1972, at the age of 16, when the Indophobic dictator Idi Amin expelled all Asians from Uganda. He returned to Uganda in 1985, with US$25,000, earned from several casual jobs including working in supermarkets, factories and butcheries. Sudhir started selling beer and spirits imported from Kenya. In 1989, beer importation was banned to encourage local brewing of alcohol and he realised he could not make beer. But since his customers who were mainly foreigners paid him in foreign currency, he started Crane Forex Bureau, the first in Uganda. With his profits, Sudhir ventured into other businesses, including forming Crane Bank in 1995. Later, he organized his businesses under the umbrella of the Ruparelia Group of Companies.
Personal Life
Sudhir Ruparelia is married to Jyotsna and they have three children: Meera (married to Ravi Kotecha in 2014) is the eldest, Rajiv, his only son, Sheena is the younger daughter. Meera and Rajiv hold senior positions in the conglomerate.