More than 40 Kenyan nationals have been blocked from joining the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) in Sipi sub-region in eastern Uganda. The group included both male and female youths who had disguised their nationality in order to join the Ugandan army in the ongoing countrywide recruitment drive.
The ten days' exercise is intended to recruit a total of 4,000 recruits from all districts of Uganda as both professional and regular soldiers. The exercise seeks to recruit professionals including doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and those holding UACE certificates majoring in science subjects.
According to the UPDF recruitment criteria, all recruits must be citizens of Uganda and in possession of an original National Identity card and duly signed letters of recommendations from LC I, LC III, and GISOs, to confirm that they are citizens of good conduct with no criminal record.
However, while thousands converged at Kapchorwa secondary school on Monday morning, a number of Kenyan nationals also presented their credentials. Telesphor Turyamanya, the UPDF 3rd Division spokesperson expressed dismay that the Kenyan nationals held recommendation letters, issued by Ugandan local council authorities.
The ten days' exercise is intended to recruit a total of 4,000 recruits from all districts of Uganda as both professional and regular soldiers. The exercise seeks to recruit professionals including doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and those holding UACE certificates majoring in science subjects.
According to the UPDF recruitment criteria, all recruits must be citizens of Uganda and in possession of an original National Identity card and duly signed letters of recommendations from LC I, LC III, and GISOs, to confirm that they are citizens of good conduct with no criminal record.
However, while thousands converged at Kapchorwa secondary school on Monday morning, a number of Kenyan nationals also presented their credentials. Telesphor Turyamanya, the UPDF 3rd Division spokesperson expressed dismay that the Kenyan nationals held recommendation letters, issued by Ugandan local council authorities.
"And we also got a challenge whereby, the local authorities - some of them are not actually adequately supporting the exercise to the extent that they recommend non-citizens into the exercise. Some of them from Kenya were actually recommended by LCs and GISOs and we only identified them here when we were tipped off by some concerned Ugandans…About 40 of them were eliminated on that fact that they were non-Ugandans." said Turyamanya.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Ugandan nationals were equally eliminated on grounds of late coming, unfitness presenting fake academic qualifications and forged identity cards, among others.
A UPDF officer at the recruitment ground who preferred anonymity said that they are overwhelmed by the numbers of the youths who turned up for the recruitment exercise. Sipi region which is comprising the districts of Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Kween had a quota of 25 recruits but more than 600 turned up.
Among those who were rejected were the two sons of Muhammad Seiko, a veteran who retired from the army several years ago. They had appeared with documents purportedly from the UPDF head offices indicating that they should be recruited to join the army.
"I joined the forces way back in 1985 and we brought this government into power and I now wanted my children to pick up from where I stopped by joining the army and now they have been denied the opportunity," Seiko said.
But Turyamanya said that most of those who turned up were qualified but could not all be recruited.
"The turnup was high and we have to decide the elimination methods because we have to take the 25 that we need. And the ladies also came by the way in big numbers - very fit ladies, young. Most of the ladies who came here they are between 18 and 22. We hardly got people of 25. They are here, we have about 15 ladies but out of the 15 we can't take more than 5." Turyamanya added.
Sam Chemutai, one of the youths who had turned up for recruitment said that the interest in joining the army is a result of increasing unemployment in the region. He said many youths have attained education and obtained academic documents but have nothing to do that is why they have opted to join the forces.
"People are lacking jobs and when they have this opportunity to join the army they come in very high numbers as you can…It is now the only job and when we see the army we think that our people will survive from there," said Chemutai
Fred Chebet, the LCIII chairperson of Benet sub-county raised concerns on the recruitment exercise saying that the 25 slots for the three districts was so small, considering the geographical and population size of the region.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Ugandan nationals were equally eliminated on grounds of late coming, unfitness presenting fake academic qualifications and forged identity cards, among others.
A UPDF officer at the recruitment ground who preferred anonymity said that they are overwhelmed by the numbers of the youths who turned up for the recruitment exercise. Sipi region which is comprising the districts of Kapchorwa, Bukwo and Kween had a quota of 25 recruits but more than 600 turned up.
Among those who were rejected were the two sons of Muhammad Seiko, a veteran who retired from the army several years ago. They had appeared with documents purportedly from the UPDF head offices indicating that they should be recruited to join the army.
"I joined the forces way back in 1985 and we brought this government into power and I now wanted my children to pick up from where I stopped by joining the army and now they have been denied the opportunity," Seiko said.
But Turyamanya said that most of those who turned up were qualified but could not all be recruited.
"The turnup was high and we have to decide the elimination methods because we have to take the 25 that we need. And the ladies also came by the way in big numbers - very fit ladies, young. Most of the ladies who came here they are between 18 and 22. We hardly got people of 25. They are here, we have about 15 ladies but out of the 15 we can't take more than 5." Turyamanya added.
Sam Chemutai, one of the youths who had turned up for recruitment said that the interest in joining the army is a result of increasing unemployment in the region. He said many youths have attained education and obtained academic documents but have nothing to do that is why they have opted to join the forces.
"People are lacking jobs and when they have this opportunity to join the army they come in very high numbers as you can…It is now the only job and when we see the army we think that our people will survive from there," said Chemutai
Fred Chebet, the LCIII chairperson of Benet sub-county raised concerns on the recruitment exercise saying that the 25 slots for the three districts was so small, considering the geographical and population size of the region.
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