KAMPALA – The Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC) in the Internal Affairs Ministry has said it will prosecute individuals who submit forged documents in order to acquire passports and work permits.
Addressing journalists at the ministry headquarters in Kampala on Monday, the Director of Immigration, Maj Gen Apollo Kasiita, said while they have been rejected such forged documents, they will now go-ahead to arrest and prosecute those perpetrating the vice.
“Any application found to be forged is rejected. However, the applicant will, in addition, face more serious consequences that include a permanent record of fraud in our dataset, revocation of your resident or citizenship status, being charged in court or removal from Uganda, if you are a foreigner,” he said.
The warning follows the arrest of two suspects from Nasser Road in Kampala last week over forgery of documents. The spokesperson of the Internal Affairs ministry, Mr Jacob Siminyu, said the suspects were found with, among others, forged seals and stamps for various ministries, departments, banks and universities; forged passports and visa stickers.
Gen Kasiita also said they do not deal with agents in the process of acquiring travel documents.
“The public is, therefore, warned against seeking services from those unscrupulous individuals in the processing and payment of fees for our services,” he said.
Three suspects, among them two women, were on Monday, August 5, detained in connection with forging URA documents and those of several other government institutions, bank stamps and international agencies.
The trio, Ali Kimera Ssajjabi, Amina Nambalye and Hadijah Nakitende, are said to be based along Nasser Road, Kampala.
Following their arrest, several forged stamps, academic certificates and transcripts were impounded. This was in addition to a computer onto which other forged documents were saved. A total of 119 forged stamps were recovered. Of these, 39 were supposedly for commercial banks.
“They had in their possession forged logbooks for motorcycles and vehicles, which makes them key participants in the prevailing rampant car and boda boda theft in addition to aiding the boda boda murders,” noted Vincent Seruma, the URA Spokesperson.
Key government bodies whose stamps were forged include the army (UPDF), Uganda Police Force, Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Lands, and the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
They also had stamps for Uganda Registration Services Bureau Registrar and Uganda National Roads Authority weighbridges.
Listed Local governments whose stamps were recovered are Mityana, Kampala Capital City Authority Deputy Mayor Kampala and Kawempe, Luweero, Mpigi, Kaliro, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Mbarara, Bundibugyo, Kitgum, Koboko, Buikwe, Mukono, Mayuge, Kayunga Sheema and Kamwenge. Also recovered were stamps from several courts in Nabweru, Mityana, and Mukono.
