Mabirizi petitions EC over Bobi Wine's academic credentials

Aug 12, 2020

POLITICS | LAW | EDUCATION

Maverick lawyer Hassan Male Mabirizi has written to the Electoral Commission (EC) seeking to be availed with Kyadondo East lawmaker Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine's academic credential details ahead of the 2021 general elections. 

In his letter to EC dated August 10, Mabirizi says he wants Bobi Wine's academic credentials to satisfy his doubts that the presidential hopeful possesses the minimum requisite papers for the office. 

Section 4(3) (c) of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005 states that a person is qualified to be a member of parliament if he/she has completed a minimum formal education of advanced level or its equivalent.  

"Bobi Wine's academic details available at the parliament website indicate that he was born in 1982 and sat A-level in 1998. This means that if he was born in 1982, he sat A-level at 16-years, O-level at 13-years and PLE at 9-years and started his educational journey at 2-years only which is peculiar," Mabirizi argues. 

This, according to Mabirizi creates doubt about his academic credentials and can only be satisfied by looking at the academic documents tendered to EC at the nomination in the 2017 by-election which brought him to parliament. 

Mabirizi described by many a perennial litigant bases his application to the electoral body under section 5 of the Access to Information Act, 2005, and Article 41 of the Constitution. 

Asked why he is coming out at this time to contests the pop star-turned-politician academic credentials, Mabirizi said, "We want to avoid a scenario of former Kampala Mayor Hajj Nasser Ssebaggala. We (Baganda) do not want to be ashamed again." 

Asked why he never lodged the request to Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB), Mabirizi said he is sure that he submitted the same documents before EC for nomination during the 2017 Kyadondo East by-election. 

Efforts to get a comment from Bobi Wine, the leader of the National Unity Platform(NUP), and the People power, a pressure group proved futile as the various calls made to him went unanswered. 

Mabirizi a busy body-Ssenyonyi 

National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, however, said Mabirizi is a busy body. 

"I think Mabirizi is a busy body and suffering from what to do and it is okay for him to keep engaging. There are going to be many Mabirizis but we choose not to be bothered by them and we major on the majors," Ssenyonyi said. 

Bobi Wine's academic background  

Bobi Wine's profile on the parliament website, however, indicates that he sat his O-level at Kitante Hill School in 1996 and A-level at Kololo secondary school in 1998.  

He also has a diploma in music, dance, and drama from Makerere University in 2003.   

Bobi Wine is currently pursuing law at the Kabalagala based Cavendish University. 

Mabirizi becomes the second person to question Bobi Wine's academic credentials, the first being singer Zari Hassan. 

Legal mind  

City lawyer Erias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola says that Mabirizi has a right to access Bobi Wine's academic credentials. 

"He has a right to access public information on any matter for as long it is in the public interest. It is my humble opinion that maybe there was a mistake on parliament records regarding Bobi Wine's academic background which indicates that he sat primary seven at 9-years," Nalukoola said. 

Adding, "I want to believe that he wants to look at Bobi Wine's academic documents and satisfy himself." 

Who is Mabirizi?  

Mabirizi was born in 1987 to Mohammed Mutumba and the late Mastula Ndwaddewazibwa in Mukono district.  

He possesses a bachelor's degree in law from Makerere University. He sat his A-level from Kawempe Muslim Secondary School and topped his year. 

A Muganda from the Kkobe (yam) clan, Mabirizi became famous when he dragged his own King Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II to court for what he described an illegal collection of land fees known as Busulu.   

The matter is now pending decision at the Supreme Court, the highest court on the land. 

He was also among the team which challenged the amendment of the presidential Age limit clauses (102b) in the Constitution 

Article 102 (b) of the constitution prevented anyone above 75 years from standing for president.  

The matter is pending judgment at the East African Court of Justice based in Arusha -Tanzania. 

Mabirizi is also said to have dragged his own father to court for failure to clear a loan which he had advanced to him. 

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