Summary:
- According to Captain Kato Ahmad Hassan, UPDF 4th Infantry Division PIO/Spokesperson for Team Six, the suspects were handed over to Lira Central Police Station for further investigation and management.
LIRA: Nine people from Lira District and Lira City have been arrested for possessing fake Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) transcripts and fake National Identification cards during the ongoing Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) recruitment exercise.
According to Captain Kato Ahmad Hassan, UPDF 4th Infantry Division PIO/Spokesperson for Team Six, the suspects were handed over to Lira Central Police Station for further investigation and management.
“Five candidates from Lira District were arrested with fake UCE transcripts and fake National Identification cards,” Captain Kato stated.
He added, “Four candidates were equally caught with fake UCE result slips and certificates from Lira City.”
The arrests occurred during the vetting of candidates and verification of their academic documents.
The two-day exercise is taking place at Akibua Stadium in Lira City.
“UPDF National Recruitment Team is at Akibua Stadium to recruit shortlisted candidates who had initially applied and were shortlisted by the UPDF to join the forces,” Captain Kato stated.
According to Captain Kato, today (July 7, 2024), the team will recruit candidates from Lira City and Lira District, while tomorrow, July 8, the team will recruit candidates from Alebtong and Otuke at Akibua Stadium.
The UPDF Team Six will later proceed to recruit candidates from the districts of Dokolo, Amolatar, Kaberamaido, Kalaki, Apac, Kwania, and Oyam between July 9 and July 13, 2024, based on the quotas allotted to each district according to recent census statistics.
“Only those who were shortlisted, vetted, and cleared by the team will be considered to join the UPDF,” he added.
He noted that participants were later engaged in a physical examination checkup for body deformities by the medical team and subjected to a 2-km run in the stadium to assess their physical fitness abilities.
“Team Six has finalized the recruitment of candidates from Adjumani, Gulu City, Gulu District, Omoro, Nwoya, Amuru, Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader, and Agago District,” he said.
He appealed to the leaders in each of the remaining districts to organize and prepare their candidates ahead of time so that their quotas are met.
He also urged them to ensure that the candidates have all the necessary original academic credentials and supportive documents intact to pass the vetting successfully.
“For transparency, Team Six works closely with district officials during vetting to ensure that the screening is done thoroughly and jointly, preventing doubts at the end of the exercise and ensuring that the right people are recruited into the UPDF,” Captain Kato noted.
He also stated that an overwhelming number of applicants, including those over the required age limit, professionals, and those lacking the required UCE documents, gathered at the entrance of Akibua Stadium ahead of the recruitment exercise to gamble for chances.
“The recruitment exercise ends on July 14 as per the UPDF timetable,” he said.
