Prisons drops more than 500 recruits over documents mismatch

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) has dropped more than 500 recruits citing mismatches in their academic documents and National Identity Card.

In May this year, UPS embarked on the recruitment of 1,152 warders and wardresses to replace those who retired after clocking the retirement age of 60 years, the dead, and those who quit the service on medical grounds.

UPS spokesperson Frank Baine, explains that at the end of the recruitment exercise early last month, it was established that almost 60 percent of the recruits had mismatches in their dates of birth, academic documents, and national ID. Baine explains that it was surprising to see a person having two dates of birth.

For instance, the academic document could show that the person was born on July 1, 1997, whereas the national ID for the same person reads he was born on January 20, 1998.

“Almost 60 percent of the people who reported for the interviews had what we call mismatches. A mismatch is where you find according to your O level results you are 18 years and according to your National ID you are 19 years,” Baine said.

The 10 members committee that was set up by Commissioner General of Prisons, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija to scrutinize the recruits has since dropped more than 500 applicants despite the fact they had passed the interviews very well.

Baine explains that since public service could not allow such mismatches, all those that had issues have been replaced with others who had passed the interviews during the recruitment exercise. Baine said the force had received overwhelming numbers and they had more than 2500 who had the prerequisites.

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