Police in Pader investigate six over UPDF recruitment incidents

16 August 2026, 21:20

By Ekel Bonny Daniel

Police in Pader are investigating six suspects over alleged forgery, Bribery and other offences linked to the UPDF recruitment exercise. Three suspects allegedly used forged recruitment documents after being disqualified for exceeding the required age, while others face recruitment-related allegations.

Police in Pader District are investigating six suspects in connection with separate incidents reported during the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) recruitment exercise held in the district on Saturday, 15 August 2026.

The suspects were arrested on Saturday evening over allegations including forgery of recruitment documents, suspected extortion and other recruitment-related offences in Pader and Agago districts.

Pader District Police Commander SP Jackson Bogere confirmed that six suspects are currently in police custody as investigations continue.

Three of the suspects were arrested at Labwordwong Training School in Agago District, where they allegedly attempted to gain entry using forged UPDF recruitment documents.

The three suspects have been identified as Agenorwot Nancey Katende, 25, a resident of Pawatomero East, Pawatomero Parish, Purongo Sub-county in Nwoya District; Katende Tonny, 27, also a resident of Pawatomero East, Pawatomero Parish, Purongo Sub-county in Nwoya District; and Lanyero Winifred, 25, a resident of Iriaga Laliya, Iriaga Ward, Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu City.

SP Bogere warned the public against forging recruitment documents or paying money to individuals claiming they can secure UPDF recruitment opportunities.

He said forgery is a criminal offence and that suspects found culpable will be taken to court after completion of police investigations.

Maj. Bilal Katamba, Public Information Officer of UPDF Fourth Infantry Division and Recruitment Team Six, said the three suspects had initially appeared on the recruitment shortlist but were disqualified at Pece Stadium Recruitment Centre in Gulu City after being found to be above the required recruitment age.

Maj. Katamba said the suspects allegedly obtained copies of documents issued to successful recruits, scanned them and replaced the details and photographs with their own before using the documents to report to a UPDF training school.

The suspicious documents were detected during verification at the training school, leading to the suspects’ arrest and referral to police.

Meanwhile, the identities of the other two suspects arrested in Pader have been withheld by security authorities for security purposes to avoid compromising the ongoing investigations.

Pader Assistant Resident District Commissioner Boniface Pule said the two suspects arrested in Pader allegedly told security authorities that some individuals were collecting money from candidates outside the recruitment centre while claiming to be UPDF recruitment officials

However, authorities verified the authorised recruitment personnel, including doctors and records staff, but did not find anyone by that name among the officials who had worked at the recruitment centre.

Pule assured the public that the recruitment exercise was free and fair, saying no authorised recruitment official was permitted to demand money from candidates.

The Pader recruitment exercise attracted 66 shortlisted candidates, of whom 42 successfully qualified after document verification, physical fitness and medical examinations, while Agago had 44 successful candidates.