KAKIRA | Surendra Madhvani, the fourth son of the founder of Madhvani Group, Muljibhai Prabhudas Madhvani, has died, sources in Kakira have confirmed.
The cause of death of Mr Surendra, who was affectionately known as Surubhai, was not immediately revealed as a senior manager in Kakira speaking on condition of anonymity said they had not yet received the obituary from the family.
Surubhai. who died Friday from Mumbai in India at the age of 82, is survived by widow Maya and children Rickin and Priya.
His other child, Tamana, was a stillbirth but her status is diligently included in the family genealogy.
Rickin, 52, is one of the third generation Madhvanis groomed to take over from the second generation currently led by Mayur.
The others warming up for the director's office are Pratap Madhvani's sons Nikesh and Ronak, and Jayant Madhvani's son Nitin.
Surendra was born on November 26, 1942, to Muljibhai and his second wife Parvatiben Kotecha at a time the family lived on the upper floor of the present Madhvani Building in Jinja City.
In the family genealogy, he is the ninth child of 13 siblings - including Jayant and Ruxmani who were born to Muljibhai's first wife Gangaba Unadkut.
One of the five sons to whose lineage Muljibhai equally bequeathed his wealth - the sixth son and last born Mukesh died at the age of seven while in school in London in 1960 - Surendra and third-born son Pratap took the lowest profiles of the Madhvanis.
Of the five sons, it was Suru who was the most reserved. He was humble and avoided anything that would stir the waters.
He was a good listener who spoke measuredly and stood tallest as the advisor in the family when issues called for one.
It was with such persona that when the family was feuding for right of inheritance and overall management of assets, Jayant's widow Meenaben easily convinced Suru to take her side by reminding him of how the first born son had inherited only five companies and a few acres of land in Kakira and expanded everything to Forbes amazement.
Suru took sides with the Jayant half of the family when his real brothers pulled their numbers to attempt to takeover what Milton Obote had returned to Meenaben.
A cheeky Manubhai, the second born son who died in 2012, would later suggest that Meenaben had exploited Suru's meek personality.
But in reality Suru, more than his brothers, knew better not to bite the hand that fed him.
When their mother Kotecha died in 1954 and then their father four years later, the younger children took refugee with Jayant and Meenaben. The couple took on the role of foster parents to the children like Suru and Mayur.
While he was one of the joint managing directors, the overall leadership of the Madhvani Group's vast business interests were past through Jayant and Manubhai with the younger Mayur assuming the mantle having seen his business acumen honed by his two elder brothers who jointly ran the business upon their father's death in 1958.
But Surendra, whose portfolio in Oil and Soap at was sacrificed in the midst of stiff competition from manufacturers such as Mukwano, took his interests beyond the borders.
He invested big in Bermuda and was known to own two iron rolling mills in India's Gujarati and Mumbai as well as an investment arm, Holinta Industrial and Commercial Investment, also in India.
Surendra will be cremated from India next week and the his ash will then be repatriated to rest at the family mausoleum on the shores of Lake Victoria in Jinja - alongside his father Muljibhai and brothers Jayant and Manubhai.
At the time of publishing this, Pratap had flown to India to oversee the funeral arrangements.