GULU.Four people are behind bars for attempting to sit the Mature Age Entry Examinations for Medicine on behalf of registered candidates at Gulu University.
According to Mr James Onono Ojok, the university’s Public Relations Officer, the incident occurred on Saturday morning when invigilators and examination scouts — who are university lecturers — detected irregularities in the national identity cards presented by the suspects.
“The invigilators noticed strange features on the national IDs which appeared forged compared to genuine ones issued by NIRA,” Onono said. “They immediately informed security, leading to the arrest of the suspects.”
Upon interrogation, it was discovered that the four individuals had been hired by genuine registered candidates to impersonate them during the exams.
The suspects were identified as: Ssempija Enock, 25, from Kampala — sitting in for Mbanadho Isaac Mukiibi Lawrence, 39, impersonating Masosha Esau Hama Abaho, 26, from Ntungamo — sitting for Omara Samuel Aine Williams, 28, from Kampala — sitting for Kyeyone Timothy Wyclif Onono said the suspects are facing charges of impersonation, falsification, and forgery of documents.
He condemned the act, describing it as a serious violation of university integrity and ethics, noting that such malpractice undermines the credibility of the higher education system.
“The Mature Age Entry examination is designed to provide Ugandans aged 25 and above a fair opportunity to join university, provided they can pass the two required papers — a General Paper in the morning and a specialized paper in the afternoon,” Onono explained. “It is unacceptable for anyone to abuse this chance through criminal means.”
He commended the university staff, police, and security operatives for their vigilance and swift response in apprehending the suspects.
The four suspects are currently detained at Gulu University Police Post, pending transfer to Gulu Central Police Station for further management.