Thirteen people have been arrested in Kagadi District for allegedly presenting forged academic documents during the ongoing Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) recruitment exercise.
The group of 11 men and two women was apprehended after the verification of original documents revealed falsified academic papers, including fake Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) slips, forged Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) certificates, counterfeit identification cards, and falsified testimonials for those claiming to have sat Senior Four in 2024.
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Kagadi Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Nanshemeza Caroline condemned the malpractice, calling it both illegal and unnecessary given the government’s provision of free primary and secondary education.
“Presenting fake academic documents is a crime in this country. Why resort to such actions when we have free education? I urge parents and guardians to take advantage of government programmes to ensure their children get the education they need,” she said.
The suspects have been handed over to police for further investigation.
Captain Wilson Kato Agaba, Public Information Officer for UPDF Recruitment Team 5 in the Bunyoro Region, warned prospective recruits against attempting to cheat the process.
“We have a professional and dedicated screening team that can easily detect forged documents. Don’t risk bringing them to the recruitment centre,” he cautioned.
Out of 88 shortlisted candidates, 61 — including four women — successfully joined the UPDF in Kagadi. The recruitment team will next head to Kibaale District before concluding the exercise in Kakumiro later this week.