Africa-Press – Uganda. Police have arrested a 30-year-old man for earning a salary for the past year as a secondary science teacher in Bududa District illegally.
Authorities said the man used a forged appointment letter from the Education Service Commission to access the payroll.
He was allegedly aided by his uncle, a former Principal Human Resource Officer (PHRO) of Bududa District, to forge an appointment letter indicating that he had been posted to serve as a teacher at Bulucheke Secondary school in Bududa.
Police said that the suspect was arrested with his uncle on allegations of forgery.
The Elgon Regional Police Spokesperson, Mr Rogers Taitika, said the duo and others still at large are suspected to have connived and committed the crime in early 2022.
“It’s alleged that the suspect in early 2022 presented forged appointment and posting letters from the Ministry of Education and Sports to the Bulucheke administration. He has been in the school from March up to May 2023 when this crime has been discovered,” Mr Taitika said.
According to the charge sheet, the teacher has been charged with obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, uttering a false document and conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to Sections of the Penal Code Act, 1950. The suspects are accused of also causing a financial loss of about Shs62 million.
The School head teacher, Mr Edward Mukhwana said “We locally recruited him and he was put on the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) payroll. We didn’t know that he was also receiving money from the government,” Mr Mukhwana said.
The Bududa Resident District Commissioner, Mr George Owanyi, said the teacher’s uncle, was the one who reportedly added him to the government payroll.
“The former [official] mismanaged the payroll system in the district prompting the authorities to transfer him to Kunshu Town Council as a Town clerk,” Mr Owanyi, said.
The Chief Administrative Officer of Bududa, Mr Joshua Mabiya, said: “The suspect accessed the payroll illegally in March 2021.“We are carrying out an investigation intoour payroll .”
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