A senior accountant attached to Nakawa Vocational Institute has been charged and remanded to Luzira Prison over allegations of forging academic documents to fraudulently gain employment in the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Samuel Wampero was arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday afternoon, where he was formally charged with forgery and uttering false documents.
He was remanded until April 22, 2025.
The charges were brought by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
According to prosecutors, Wampero is accused of forging Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) documents purportedly issued by the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb).
He is also alleged to have falsified academic transcripts from Makerere University Business School and Kyambogo University, including a diploma and a bachelor’s degree.
Investigations reveal that Wampero presented these forged documents to the Education Service Commission in 2004 as part of his application to join public service under the Education Ministry.
Authorities allege that he intended to deceive and defraud the government by falsely qualifying for employment.
“The accused knowingly presented falsified documents to the Education Service Commission in a bid to secure employment with the Ministry of Education and Sports,” a state prosecutor told the court.
As a result, Wampero was appointed as a senior accounts assistant at Nakawa Vocational Institute. Authorities say he later submitted additional fake academic transcripts and certificates, this time purportedly from Kyambogo University, between 2021 and 2022.
Those documents allegedly led to his appointment to the Governing Council of Nakawa Vocational Training College and a subsequent promotion to College Accountant.
In a statement, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit said, “This case serves as a strong warning to individuals who seek to manipulate the system through dishonest means. Public service must be based on merit, not deceit.”
The State House Anti-Corruption Unit said in a statement that the arrest and prosecution of Wampero signals ongoing efforts to purge the public service of fraudulent actors and uphold integrity in the education sector.
If convicted, Wampero could face several years in prison under Uganda’s Penal Code provisions on forgery and uttering false documents.
