A Rolls-Royce Phantom, which was stolen by a former Uganda dictator – Idi Amin Dada Oumee, has finally been returned to its rightful owners: the Buganda royal family.
The luxury vehicle was stolen from the kingdom of Buganda in 1966 by Idi Amin, also popularly known as the last ‘king of Scotland’, on the orders of the state of Uganda.
Charles Peter Mayiga, the current Katikkiro or prime minister of the kingdom of Buganda, said he was just three years old when the theft happened.
He said that the return of the vehicle was significant.
“Idi Amin was the commander of the army and he dispatched a unit that attacked the palace. They ransacked it and the cars and many other valuables were stolen; it created very bitter feelings for the people of Buganda,” he said.
Five vehicles were stolen, and one of them destroyed, and two have never been located.
“There was also a Bentley which belonged to the current King’s mother…it’s in South Africa, that one we’ve been able to locate,” he said.
Mr Mayiga said the attack on the palace was humiliating for the king but the act of returning the vehicle was “a good gesture”.