KAMPALA, Uganda— A lawyer has sued a Chinese construction firm, seeking a court order to ban the placement of nighttime road barriers following the death of businessman Sudhir Ruparelia’s son in a car accident.
Joshua Okello filed a petition in the High Court in Kampala on May 9, requesting a declaration that placing barriers in the middle of the road disrupts traffic and causes fatal accidents. He also wants the court to compel authorities to complete the road construction.
Rajiv Ruparelia, 35, died May 3 in a fiery car crash on the Kajjansi-Munyonyo road. His Nissan GT-R hit temporary concrete barriers at the Busabala Flyover Junction shortly after midnight, hours before he was to be a groomsman at a friend’s wedding. The impact at high speed caused the car to overturn, become airborne, and then catch fire.
Okello argues that Rajiv’s death and other accidents at the construction site are a result of gross negligence in road construction management. He contends that China State Construction Engineering Corporation should be held liable for placing barriers without adequate signage or warnings, a situation he attributes to prolonged road construction timelines.
On May 5, Works Minister Gen. Katumba Wamala announced a government investigation into the circumstances of Rajiv’s death. He also asked the acting commissioner for roads, Eng. Isaac Wani, to explain the delays in road construction projects.
Wani explained that the initial steps involve clearing the right of way, followed by excavation, material removal, surface preparation, and compaction before reaching the sub-grade level.
“The aforesaid actions of the respondent through its agents are or were discriminative in nature and amounts to unequal treatment of Ugandans contrary to the Constitution, principles of equity and good conscience,” Okello stated in his petition.
He argues that the requested orders and declarations would not prejudice the construction firm or others.
Rajiv Ruparelia was the managing director of the Ruparelia Group of Companies.
