Bobi Wine Summoned

The Law Development Centre Curt in Kampala has summoned National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine to appear in court to answer charges related to obtaining false admission to Makerere University about two decades ago.

On September 21, LDC grade one magistrate Augustine Alule summoned Bobi Wine to take plea before the court on October 07.

“Whereas your attendance is necessary to answer to charge of obtaining registration by false pretense contrary to section 312 of the Penal Code Act Cap. 120; You are hereby commanded by the Uganda government to appear in this court on the 7th October 2021 at 12:00 noon or soon thereafter as the case may be heard,” reads the summons in part.

The summons follow a request by perennial litigant Hassan Male Mabirizi who has since filed an application to privately prosecute Bobi Wine.

On September 20, Mabirizi instituted criminal proceedings against Bobi Wine.

Mabirizi said Bobi Wine flouted provisions of the policy on mature age entry scheme as outlined in the Makerere University Prospectus 1999/2000-2000/2001.

In August 2020, Mabirizi wrote to Makerere University Academic Registrar requesting for copies of Bobi Wine’s admission, bio-data forms and academic transcript for Kyagulanyi.

The Makerere University Academic Registrar gave Mabirizi copies of these documents on December 11, 2020.

Later, Mabirizi asked the Academic Registrar to offer him a copy of the Policy on Mature Age Entry for the year 2000 when Bobi Wine was admitted to pursue a diploma in Music, Dance and Drama.

“I reasoned that upon going through the documents,  I discovered that born on 12 February 1980, the student sat and  passed University Mature Entry Examination held on 3 March, 2000 for entry into the course of Diploma in Music, Dance & Drama on which basis he was admitted,” said Mabirizi in his affidavit.

“This raises eye brows given that it is contrary to the longstanding publicly known policy that mature entry examinations are only sat by individuals above 25 years of age. If the Policy was the same in 2000, he must have then committed several offences and fraud, especially that he enjoyed a Government Sponsorship based on Mature Entry to which he was not qualified.”

He argued that whereas Paragraph 2 of the rules on mature age entry scheme require one to be 25 years old and to have completed formal education at least five years before the year of admission, Bobi Wine “had none of the said qualifications,” since he was about 20 years old.

“I know that the above constitute the offence Obtaining Registration by False Pretence contrary to section 312 of The Penal Code Act, for which accused should be charged,” he said. “The said offences were committed at Makerere University, Kawempe Division, Kampala City, within the criminal jurisdiction of this court.”