Over 100 govt workers in Kayunga to lose jobs over fake papers

The ongoing validation of critical documents of all civil servants in Kayunga District has so far unearthed at least 100 civil servants who joined civil service using fake academic papers, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Abdul Batambuze has revealed.

On Tuesday, Batambuze told journalists that the validation which was started by the District Service Commission in March has so far discovered that some senior officers working at the district headquarters, medical workers, teachers and others in different departments “used academic papers from Nasser Street (Kampala) to join the civil service.”

“The exercise has exposed many civil servants that never went to school while some others are holding senior positions with just a diploma as their highest academic level of education. It is mandatory that any civil servant at the senior level should possess at least a degree,” Batambuze observed.

However, the CAO said many civil servants have previously been terminated once found to be having fake documents or lacking documents.

He explained that the district, acting on an order from the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), had carried out the 2024 validation after failing to carry out one since 2007.

“The exercise is still ongoing, and surely more culprits will be discovered and upon proof that they never went to school, they will be sacked,” Batambuze noted.

While Kayunga was carved out of Mukono District in 2000, its District Service Commission has been accused of soliciting bribes from job applicants, with allegations that some jobs in the health department are ‘sold’ at Shs15million.

But Kayunga District Service Commission chairperson Badru Ssentongo has on several occasions denied the allegations, instead accusing some staff and unscrupulous people of masquerading as middlemen and asking for bribes on claims that they were doing so on the behalf of the commission.

Last year, a woman who claimed to have paid Shs2million to one of the Kayunga DSC staff in order to be given a parish chief job caused havoc when she undressed at the district headquarters after failing to get the promised job.

She demanded her money back to no help.

According to Ssentongo, the district service commission will make a report after the exercise and the culprits be informed about their fate.