Fort Portal officials charged over fraudulent recruitment

Two government officials from Fort Portal City were arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Court on Monday for allegedly forging official appointment letters and facilitating the irregular recruitment of 23 ghost workers into Uganda’s Public Service.

The accused, Richard Kagaba Ndora, Acting Deputy Town Clerk, and Ben Mutooro Musinguzi, Office Attendant/Assistant Records Officer, are charged jointly with Susan Kyomuhendo, a Senior Assistant Secretary of Fort Portal City, who remains at large. Criminal summons have been issued for her to appear in court on December 4, 2024.

Kagaba and Musinguzi appeared before Grade One Magistrate Christopher Opit and pleaded not guilty to the charge of Abuse of Office. They were remanded and ordered to return to court on December 4, 2024, for a bail hearing.

The prosecution alleges that the accused committed the offense between November 2022 and July 2023, abusing their positions of authority.

The court heard that the accused, without proper clearance from the Public Service, forged and issued appointment letters to 23 applicants. These letters were backdated to June 29, 2023, to circumvent a circular issued by the Ministry of Public Service on June 30, 2023, which halted all unauthorized recruitments.

The accused disregarded several earlier circulars from the Ministry of Public Service and the Public Service Commission regarding proper recruitment procedures.

Written by Ruth Anderah