Thirteen individuals have been arrested in Kagadi District for presenting falsified academic credentials during the ongoing Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) recruitment exercise.
The suspects, 11 men and two women were detained following a thorough verification of documents at the recruitment centre.
According to security officials, the forged documents included counterfeit Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) slips, fake Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) certificates, fabricated testimonials claiming to have completed Senior Four in 2024, and fraudulent national identification cards.
Kagadi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Nanshemeza Caroline condemned the act, describing it as both criminal and unnecessary given Uganda’s free education policy.
“Submitting forged academic papers is a criminal offence in this country. Why engage in such behaviour when free education is available? I encourage parents and guardians to utilise government programmes to ensure their children obtain the education they deserve,” she said.
The suspects have been transferred to police custody for further investigations.
Captain Wilson Kato Agaba, Public Information Officer for UPDF Recruitment Team 5 in the Bunyoro Region, cautioned applicants against attempting to cheat the system.
“We have a skilled and committed screening team capable of swiftly detecting fake academic qualifications. Do not risk bringing them to the recruitment centre,” he warned.
Out of 88 shortlisted candidates in Kagadi, 61 including four women successfully joined the force.
The recruitment team will next move to Kibaale District before concluding the exercise in Kakumiro later this week.
Email:homelandnewspaper@gmail.com
