Kampala Set for Rajiv Ruparelia Memorial Drive from Mulago to Munyonyo

By Gad Masereka

Kampala is preparing for one of its most anticipated community events of the year as organisers finalise arrangements for the Rajiv Ruparelia Memorial Drive, a tribute journey that will take participants from the grounds of Mulago National Referral Hospital through the heart of the city to Speke Resort Munyonyo on Sunday, May 3, 2026.

The route, stretching from one of Uganda’s most prominent health institutions to the lakeside resort that Rajiv Ruparelia knew well from a lifetime spent in his family’s hospitality businesses, was chosen to reflect the range of his interests and the breadth of a life that touched healthcare, business, motorsport and community development. Starting at Mulago connects the drive to the Ruparelia Foundation’s prosthetic camp also planned for that day, linking the memory of Rajiv to the kind of service he valued most.

The event, branded Remembering RR, is open to all Ugandans and is expected to draw thousands of participants on foot, bicycle, motorcycle and vehicle. Organisers describe it not as a mourning event but as a moving celebration, a community in motion as a way of honouring someone who was never still. Rajiv was known for his energy, his constant engagement with people and causes, and his refusal to sit on the sidelines of anything that mattered.

The Ruparelia family has played a central role in mobilising participation, with Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia making personal appeals across social media and through community networks. Their message has been consistent: come as you are, bring whoever you love, and spend May 3 doing what Rajiv would have done, which is being among people.

Security and logistics arrangements are in place with support from Kampala Metropolitan Police, and the route has been selected to minimise disruption to regular traffic while allowing the tribute the scale and visibility it deserves. Participants are asked to assemble at the starting point from early morning with the main drive expected to depart by mid-morning.

For a city that has mourned quietly through months of anniversary milestones, the memorial drive offers something different: the chance to grieve and celebrate simultaneously, in the open air, in the company of thousands. It is, as the organisers put it, exactly what Rajiv would have wanted.