Museveni did not give me bulletproof vehicle, says Bobi Wine

The leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has vehemently refuted false claims concerning a bulletproof vehicle and parliamentary gratuity in a robust rebuttal against what he perceives as "ignorance and sheer malice."

In a statement, Kyagulanyi clarified that the bulletproof vehicle was legally imported and went through all necessary legal processes.

He emphasised that President Museveni did not grant any tax forgiveness on that vehicle. Kyagulanyi asserted that the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) had no legal grounds to impound it.

"We initially imported it under someone else's name to avoid anticipated reactions upon immediate recognition of it being Bobi Wine's car. It underwent clearance at the Directorate of Interpol in Kololo and received full approval. Subsequently, it underwent inspection at the forensics department of the police in Naguru, where it also received clearance. Finally, URA conducted its independent verification and assessed relevant taxes totalling Shs 88,612,027 which we promptly paid," he stated.

Kyagulanyi revealed that for months, there were no issues raised by regime authorities regarding the vehicle. However, upon transferring the vehicle into his name, they began seeking reasons to impound it.

"Initially, they claimed that bulletproof vehicles required clearance from the Ministry of Defence, despite the absence of legal backing for this assertion. Subsequently, they alleged undervaluation and even suggested that the police failed to recognize its bulletproof nature during the initial inspection, which is absurd. Eventually, they demanded its return, which we complied with in April 2021," he recounted.

Upon realising the car belonged to him, Kyagulanyi disclosed that they dismissed the URA, Interpol, and forensics staff involved in clearing the vehicle. Some were even interrogated and detained by the CMI, while the individual in whose name the car was imported had to flee the country due to threats.

Kyagulanyi further explained that they initiated legal action against the Commissioner General of URA, challenging the imposed tax. Despite this, the authorities attempted to return the vehicle with outstanding tax claims, purportedly under instruction from President Museveni, though they never pursued the matter further due to its lack of legal basis.

Addressing allegations of receiving Shs 370,000,000 from Parliament, Kyagulanyi clarified that he never received such an amount.

He challenged anyone making such claims to provide evidence. He explained that the only payment he received after leaving Parliament was from the mandatory savings scheme established by the Parliamentary Pensions Act, 2006.

"I hope this clears up both matters. Deliberate attempts to mislead the public with false narratives and propaganda should be rejected and dismissed with contempt," he said.