The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Education Service Commission has summoned 21 teachers to defend themselves over the allegations of forging appointments and transfer letters.
According to notice number No.1 of 2025 issued by Dr Asuman Lukwago the Secretary of the Service Commission, the teachers will appear before the Disciplinary Committee on 27th February 2025.
Those invited include Franklin Ssejjongo a teacher at Lugazi SS, Joseph Okunyu, a teacher at St Francisca Girls SSS Apach Municipality, Samuel Kivainuma a teacher at Pallisa SS, Wilfred Ndusu a teacher at St Gonzaga Gonza SS Jinja, David Bukenya Kyazze a teacher at Kitwe SS Ntungamo and Wilbert Ayebaze a teacher at Kamuronko SS, Kabale all accused of forging transfer letters.
Other teachers are Francis Gidongo a teacher at Kamuge High School Pallisa, Zamidah Nabatanzi Mukwaya a teacher at Lutengo SS Kalungu, Elisah Masaba Nakokho a teacher at Bubulo Girls School Manafwa, Fredrick Yiga Ssemugaya a teacher at Kamusenene COU Mityana, and Asiimwe Francis the Deputy Headteacher of Sanga SS who is accused of forging appointment letters and instructions.
Also summoned is William Ssuuna the headteacher of Kifuyo SS Namayingo who is accused of misconduct and other teachers are accused of abscondment from duty.
Dr Lukwago asked all those invited to come with documents supporting their defences adding that non-attendance wouldn’t stop the Service Commission.
Cases of teachers forging appointment letters and transfers are not new, especially in secondary schools where the district receives the teachers posted from the Education Service Commission.
In 2024, Dr Kendrance Turyagenda the Education Ministry Permanent Secretary said they received credible information that the majority of forgeries were being aided by officials in the education sector who liaise with fraudsters claiming to work within the Ministry. On November 15th, 2024 circular Turyagenda warned that all those found face penalties under section 349 of the Penal Code Act and Uganda Public Service Standing Orders.
The Ministry also directed the districts to verify the authenticity of appointments and transfers before they confirm the teachers in service or else they will also be held responsible for such staff once found on payroll.
In 2023, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee probed Ministry officials over circumstances under which over 600 teachers accessed the Government Teachers’ payroll, leading to the loss of over shillings 19 billion.
The probe followed findings in the 2021/2022 Auditor General’s report to Parliament revealing that the Government lost 19,026,546,948 billion shillings due to payment of salaries to ineligible individuals in 129 Local Governments.
A review of a file of teachers from the Education Service Commission (ESC) revealed that 609 secondary school and tertiary institution employees used forged minutes to access government payroll and the individuals had been on the payroll for a varied number of years, ranging from 1 to 39 with some even approaching the retirement.
Even the Primary Teachers have been named in scandals of forgery and submitting fake documents to the District Service Commission.
In 2024, Nakaseke district also dismissed 21 primary headteachers from the civil service for forging academic documents to secure promotions. The headteachers served as caretakers in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools when the district requested their academic papers in 2022 for confirmation as substantive staff.
They allegedly submitted forged academic documents to the District Service Commission to gain promotion but they ran out of luck after a whistleblower petitioned the Chief Administrative Officer who wrote to the Inspector General of Government to investigate them.
Some of the headteachers reportedly admitted before IG officers that their transcripts were forged at Nasser Road, a well-known stationery hub in Kampala City.
IG has also recommended that the dismissed staff be prosecuted by the Police for presenting forged documents.
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