By Ahumuza Civic
A total of 45 applicants seeking to join the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in Masindi District have been disqualified after presenting forged documents or documents with mismatched particulars.
The applicants were among hundreds who turned up at Masindi District Headquarters on Monday for the UPDF recruitment exercise targeting 73 candidates from the district.
The recruitment exercise is targeting 50 regular officers and 23 professionals from Masindi District but would be determined after recruitment.
Brig. Gen. Rogers Kitwala, the recruitment team leader for the Mid-Western Region and Deputy Commander of the Artillery Division, says they had shortlisted 209 regular candidates and 120 professionals. However, only 76 regular candidates and 55 professionals turned up for the exercise.
Kitwala says some applicants were disqualified after being found with forged documents, while others presented documents whose particulars did not match, including differences between their National Identification cards and academic documents.
He says applicants found with forged documents have been handed over to the UPDF intelligence team for further investigations.
Kitwala has also urged parents to encourage their children to pursue education rather than resorting to forgery in an attempt to secure jobs in the armed forces.
Other applicants were disqualified over physical conditions including scars, tattoos, pierced noses and skin rashes, among other requirements considered during the recruitment process.
Kitwala says the UPDF is seeking to recruit 599 officers from the Mid-Western Region, with Masindi allocated 73 slots based on population statistics from the National Population Census.
He said each district has a quarter of recruits based on the National Population Census statistics noting that they are recruiting new officers to replace those retiring.
The recruitment team will continue with the exercise in other districts of the Mid-Western Region, starting with Kiryandongo, followed by Buliisa, Hoima City, Hoima Rural, Kikuube and others
Kitwala has urged successful candidates to maintain discipline, patriotism and integrity and to use authentic documents while serving the country.
