news 11 August 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
13 Arrested for Using Forged Documents at UPDF Recruitment in Jinja
The UPDF has arrested 13 individuals, including three women, for attempting to join the army using forged documents during a recruitment drive in Jinja. The suspects presented fake identification cards of absent applicants to gain entry. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/13-arrested-over-forged-documents-during-updf-recruitment-in-jinja-5554616
During the ongoing Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) recruitment exercise in Jinja City, thirteen individuals were apprehended for attempting to enlist using fraudulent means. The suspects were intercepted at Kakindu Stadium by the UPDF recruitment team.
Brig. Gen. Peter Gaitano Emola, who is overseeing the recruitment for the Busoga region, stated that the group tried to infiltrate the exercise after the initial screening phase. He explained that the suspects forged entry cards belonging to applicants who did not show up. “As the list of screened applicants was being read, the suspects noted the names of those who were absent and used forged cards bearing their names to gain entry into the recruitment exercise,” Brig. Gen. Emola revealed.
Of the 13 individuals arrested, ten are men and three are women. They have since been handed over to the police for further investigation.
The recruitment drive itself saw 126 people successfully recruited from Jinja City and the surrounding district on the first day. The exercise, which emphasizes recruitment based on merit, is scheduled to conclude on August 19 in Buyende District.
Recruitment exercise spokesperson, Capt. Ibrahim Kasule Ssekitto, urged aspiring soldiers to maintain discipline and refrain from engaging in fraudulent activities like forgery to avoid facing arrest. He confirmed that the exercise is proceeding smoothly overall.