Several youths conned in Hoima LDU recruitment

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  A number of unsuspecting youths from Hoima, Buliisa and Kikuube districts intending to be recruited to serve in the Local Defense Units-LDUs have lost unspecified sums of money to conmen.     

The youths pitched camp on Friday Morning at Hoima Boma grounds awaiting screening by the Uganda Peoples defence forces-UPDF officers who are in charge of the drive. However, some unscrupulous people disguised as UPDF personnel, and solicited money ranging between 50, 000 and 100,000 Shillings with promises to help the applicants sail easily through the process.  

Jackson Wamani, a youth from Buliisa who was turned away from the recruitment exercise because he did not possess a Primary leaving Examinations-PLE certificate, says one of the conmen asked for 50,000 Shillings to connect him to officers conducting the exercise even if he had no PLE certificate. 

Major Yusuf Bilaali Katamba, the UPDF spokesperson for the Infantry division told Uganda Radio Network on Friday evening that he has recorded a number of complaints from youths who have out bribes to supposed officers. He says most of the youths raised the complaints late after being turned away by the recruitment team.    

Katamba cautions the public against such individuals and asked them to report such cases to the relevant authorities. According to Katamba, the ongoing recruitment exercise of LDUs is free of charge and all successful applicants are recruited on merit.  

More than 500 youths from Kikuube, Buliisa and Hoima turned up on Friday Morning at Hoima Boma grounds with hopes of being taken up to join the reserve force.   However, the UPDF is only targeting 224 recruits from the three districts that will undergo a six-month training before they are deployed to pacify the areas from which they were selected.

According to the Quota, 100 of the prospective youths will be selected from Hoima district, 84 from Kikuube and 47 from Buliisa.

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