In 1912, Muljibhai Madhvani, then aged 18, arrived in Jinja following his older brother Nanjibhai. Starting in 1914, he was able to join his
brothers small trading concern and help create a business that would later account for 10 percent of Uganda's gross domestic product. Following the Asian expulsion of 1972 Muljbhai's five sons decided to split parts of the business equally. His workers and their dependents have enjoyed free education, housing, and healthcare under the Group. The Group's businesses are run primarily by Madhvani family members, but many of the newer investments are joint ventures with other businesses.[1]
During the 1970s, the Madhvani family was expelled from Uganda by Idi Amin and their businesses were nationalized and mismanaged to near-extinction. In 1985, the family returned to Uganda and with loans from the World Bank, the East African Development Bank, and the Uganda Development Bank, they resurrected and rehabilitated their businesses and started new ones.[2]
Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation
The Muljibhai Madhvani Foundation is a charitable trust that was established in 1962, just before Uganda gained its independence, to honor the vision of Muljibhai Madhvani (14 May 1894 – 11 July 1958). The foundation awards scholarships to deserving undergraduate and postgraduate university students to study in Ugandan universities. One of the foundation's primary objectives is to maintain and promote scientific and technical education among the people of Uganda.[3]
Subsidiary companies
The Madhvani Group includes but is not limited to the following companies:[4]