Kampala, Uganda: The Lohana Community in Uganda has unveiled a new Board of Trustees following a successful Annual General Meeting held over the weekend, with businessman Sudhir Ruparelia among the five members elected to lead the community.
In a statement issued Sunday, Lohana Executive Committee Chairman Janak Gadhia confirmed the election of Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, Dr. Hitesh Panchmatia, Dr. Chirag Kotecha, Mr. Bhasker Kotecha and Mr. Raj Sakaria as the new trustees.
“We thank all members for the successful AGM and continuous support given to the Executive Committee, Lohana Mahila Mandal and Lohana Youth Wing,” Gadhia said.
He also congratulated the incoming board while paying tribute to outgoing trustees Mr. Kiran Bhimjiyani and Mr. Chetan Pabari for their service to the community.
The election marks a return to formal leadership for Sudhir Ruparelia within one of Uganda’s most influential Asian business communities.
About the Lohanna Community
The Lohana are a Hindu trading community originally from Sindh and Gujarat in India, many of whom migrated to East Africa during the late 19th and early 20th centuries under British colonial trade expansion.
By 1970, an estimated 40,000 Lohanas lived across East Africa, with many families establishing businesses in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Prominent industrialists including the late Muljibhai Madhvani played a major role in shaping Uganda’s commercial sector before the 1972 expulsion of Asians under the regime of Idi Amin.
Following the expulsion, many Lohana families relocated to the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries before gradually returning to Uganda from the 1980s to rebuild businesses and community institutions.
Today, the Lohana Community in Kampala runs active cultural, religious and welfare programmes, including educational initiatives, while maintaining a strong presence in Uganda’s business sector.
The newly elected board is expected to guide the community’s next phase of cultural engagement, philanthropy and institutional growth in Uganda.
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