Sudhir Donates UGX 50 Million To Teso Kingdom, Receives Iteso Name at Bukedea Eye Camp Closure

By Gad Masereka 

A three-day medical outreach concluded on Sunday with a ceremony that was as much about belonging as it was about healing. Businessman Dr Sudhir Ruparelia was formally inducted into the Iteso community at the closing of the Rajiv Ruparelia Memorial Eye Camp at Bukedea Teaching Hospital, receiving the Iteso name Eminat Sudhir from Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot III in recognition of the family’s sustained contribution to the region.

The induction, which also included Sudhir’s wife Jyotsna Ruparelia, came at the end of a camp that had drawn thousands of patients from across Eastern Uganda over the preceding three days. As the ceremony unfolded, Sudhir announced a UGX 50 million donation to the Kingdom of Teso, a gesture that cultural leaders received with visible appreciation.

The Ruparelia Foundation had invested UGX 1.7 billion in the outreach, which provided free eye screenings, cataract surgeries, eyeglasses and medication to beneficiaries from Bukedea District and the wider Teso sub-region. The camp was organised in memory of the late Rajiv Ruparelia, whose commitment to philanthropy had helped inspire the initiative.

“This camp is not just about treating eyes. It is about giving people back their ability to live fully, to work, to read, to see their children grow,” Sudhir said at the ceremony, capturing the spirit behind an outreach that had already changed the lives of thousands by the time he spoke.

Adding to the significance of the occasion, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and Bukedea County MP-elect David Beecham Okwere oversaw the handover of a brand-new ambulance to the people of Bukedea, a contribution that district health leaders said would strengthen emergency medical response across the area for years to come.

For the people of Teso, Sunday’s ceremony marked both the end of a transformative few days and the formalisation of a bond with a family that has shown, through action rather than words, a long-term commitment to the region’s wellbeing. The name Eminat Sudhir now carries that commitment into the community’s own history.