Ugandan billionaire Sudhir Ruparelia has today turned 63 years old.
The property mogul was born on 17 January, 1956 in Kabatoro, Kasese District.
With hundreds of messages pouring, we have picked one that blew us us away.
In an affectionate birthday message, his eldest daughter Meera Ruparelia described the prominent property mogul as a special person and that he means a world to them (family).
She wrote, “Happy Birthday to a very special person we call Dad! You mean the world to all of us and hope this year brings you more happiness, success and laughter! Love you very much pops!”
Who is Sudhir?
Sudhir is the chairman and majority shareholder in the companies of the Ruparelia Group, one of the biggest family business empires, and single wealthiest man in the country. He is Forbes magazine’s most premium person in Uganda. His investments are mainly in the areas of hotels, real estate, agriculture, education, communications and media, among others.
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 former President Idi Amin expelled all Asians from Uganda.
He returned to Uganda in 1985, with US$25,000 which he 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, the business magnate ventured into other businesses, including forming Crane Bank in 1995(now defunct). Later, he organized his businesses under the umbrella of the Ruparelia Group.
He is married to Jyotsna, and they have three children: Meera the eldest, Rajiv is his only son, and Sheena is the younger daughter.
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