Authorities in Kyotera District have arrested two men accused of fraudulently serving as government primary school teachers for more than 15 years despite allegedly lacking the required qualifications.
The suspects, identified as Charles Sseruwu and John Kavuma, were reportedly working at Kakunyu Primary School in Kabira Sub-county while receiving salaries from the government payroll.
Kyotera District Education Officer Lawrence Ssekyondwa said the arrests followed investigations prompted by a whistleblower who raised questions about the men’s academic qualifications and employment records.
According to Ssekyondwa, investigators established that Sseruwu had allegedly been working under the identity of Joseph Kabazzi, a qualified teacher who had previously left the teaching profession.
Ssekyondwa said Sseruwu, who is reportedly related to Kabazzi, continued receiving a government salary using Kabazzi’s identity.
Investigators also allege that Kavuma was irregularly recruited into the teaching service and placed on the government payroll despite not possessing the minimum academic qualifications required to work as a teacher.
Ssekyondwa said the investigation recovered suspicious academic documents, appointment letters and posting instructions.
Statements were also recorded from some relatives of the suspects as part of the inquiry.
The two men were subsequently handed over to police as investigations continued.
District authorities are also considering steps to recover salaries allegedly paid to the suspects during the more than 15 years they remained on the government payroll.
Kyotera District Chief Finance Officer Robert Kyambadde said payroll records indicated that Sseruwu had been receiving a salary under the name of Joseph Kabazzi.
He added that Kavuma was suspected of securing employment using forged academic documents.
“We also need to establish why the headteachers failed to thoroughly verify the identities and qualifications of these individuals. We believe the suspects can help expose the wider network behind this scheme,” Kyambadde said.
Kyotera Deputy Resident District Commissioner Mathias Mulindwa described the case as a warning to the district administration and said authorities would intensify the verification of public servants.
Mulindwa said officials were concerned that other impersonators or unqualified workers could still be receiving salaries from the government payroll.
The alleged fraud is believed to have started before Kyotera became a separate district.
The suspects reportedly joined the government payroll when the area was still part of Rakai District, before Kyotera was established as an independent administrative unit in 2017.
The case has renewed concerns about weaknesses in the verification and management of government payroll records.
A 2016 human-resource audit by the Inspectorate of Government reportedly identified about 200 ghost workers and unqualified civil servants on the payroll of the former Rakai District, resulting in the loss of millions of shillings.
The suspects had not been convicted of any offence by the time of publication, and the allegations against them remain subject to police investigation.
SOURCE CREDIT:
Uganda Radio Network