National Unity Platform (NUP) President Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi has this afternoon officially given his response to allegations of dishonesty about his age, date of birth and academic credentials.
Bobi said he decided to come out and address the different raised issues as he felt some of the change loving Ugandans were being lured to doubt his integrity.
“The world is looking for people who have done something, not how they did it,” Bobi said as he kicked started his address.
The legislator gave full account of his troubled education journey that he said was struck by financial constrains. Bobi said he studied his primary level from seven different schools. He studied P6 and P7 in one year (1992) because he was an exemplary pupil.
“While I was at Bukalagi in P.6, my father went and requested the Mr Kato, the headmaster of my former school, Kanoni Catholic School to allow me register and sit P.7. exams there. I therefore spent my third term of P6 in P.7. I registered there and sat for PLE in 1992.
My father was advised that in order for my age to match with that of other candidates who included my elder brother Julius Walakila who was sitting PLE at Bukalagi the same year, he needed to increase my age by two years. That is when my year of birth was altered from 1982 to 1980. Despite sitting PLE without studying P.7, I passed my exams well,” Bobi said.
He said that he continued with the anomaly in age throughout his education both at S.4, S.6 and university education.
In secondary, he also moved to different schools but sat his S.4 at Kitante in 1996 and in 1998 he sat for his S. 6 from Kololo SS. In 1999, he joined Makerere University but dropped out of his first university admission to study Social Sciences, because of lack of tuition fees.
Due to his love for studies, Bobi said he applied again at Makerere and was successfully given admission to study Music, Dance and Drama. He graduated in 2003.
Bobi encourage other struggling students to persevere in spite of financial hardships, constant change of school and poor performances.
Back to his age, Bobi said in 2000 while applying for a passport, he took oath and lawfully rectified his age.
“I was born on February 12th 1982 in Nkozi. My brother Julius Walakila, who I follow- same father, same mother, was born on 23rd October 1979 according to all his official records. There is no way I would be born on 12th February, 1980, only four months after the birth of my elder brother,” Bobi said.
He added, “Therefore, it was at the point of getting my first Passport in March the year 2000 that I decided to correct this anomaly in my date of birth to reflect the real which is February 12th 1982. I remember swearing an affidavit to reflect this change, which is what was required at the passport office at the time.”