A storm of controversy has engulfed Dokolo district following the unearthing of a high-profile forgery scandal involving a senior education officer who allegedly falsified his way into public service.
Denis Livingston Okello, currently holding the position of District Inspector of Schools in Dokolo, is under investigation for presenting forged appointment and deployment letters to fraudulently secure a government job and earn a salary under false pretenses for nearly a decade.
Per the Regional Inspectorate of Government’s office for Lango, in coordination with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Uganda Police, they have confirmed a full-scale scandal into Okello’s employment history.
Preliminary findings indicate that Okello used falsified documents, dating back to 2007 and 2016, to gain entry into the education service and rise through the ranks.
According to Alfred Atulinde, the Regional Inspectorate Officer in Lango, Okello first appeared in government records in 2007 under questionable circumstances.
Atulinde revealed that while Okello was initially appointed as as Assistant Education Officer on probation, he fabricated a posting letter to Kangai Secondary School, claiming to have been deployed to teach Geography.
Investigations have confirmed that the posting letter was fraudulent and non exsistent.
In 2016, Okello allegedly escalated the scandal by presenting a forged deployment instruction, claiming his appointment as District Inspector of Schools.
These documents were attached to a Public Service Form (PSF 3) during an application process, leading to his acceptance into the Inspector role. However, verification with the government’s central personnel records proved the documents lacked legitimacy.
One of the forged documents was found to be a doctored version of an original appointment letter issued to another civil servant, Kwagga Juliet, who had been legally recruited as an Assistant Education Officer and was to teach English and Literature.
“The magnitude of this offense cannot be overstated. Faking entry and promotion into civil service undermines our education system and erodes public trust. We must cleanse the public service of imposters if we are to improve accountability and delivery,” said Atulinde.
The Deputy Inspector General of Government, Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, confirmed the authenticity of the investigation in a statement issued to relevant authorities.
She stated unequivocally that Okello’s documents are not recorded in any official government’s personnel system.
“There is no traceable record linking him to a legal deployment as District Inspector of Schools. His entire portfolio rests on forged documents. Disciplinary and criminal proceedings must follow,” she declared.
The matter was formally referred to the North Kyoga Regional Police headquarters on July 9, 2025. According to the Regional Police PRO, SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, a criminal file has been opened and investigations are ongoing.
Okello stands accused of forgery, uttering false documents, impersonation, abuse of office, and causing financial loss to the government.
SP Okema said the case will follow a thorough process, gathering statements from all relevant stakeholders, including district education officers, human resource personnel, and former supervisors dating back to 2007.
“We are investigating how he entered the system and how long he has benefited from government salary fraudulently. If sufficient evidence is found, he will be formally charged and prosecuted.”
In a phone interview, John Baptist Okello Okello, Chairperson of the Dokolo District Service Commission, admitted awareness of the emerging scandal but withheld judgment pending official reports.
He explained that Okello had initially applied for the Inspector of Schools position when the district advertised the vacancy, presenting himself as a senior secondary school teacher. Based on documents submitted then, the Commission cleared him for the job.
“To date, we have not received a formal report from the IGG or CAO. We only hear from the media. Once we get the official documents, the disciplinary committee will sit and take appropriate action,” Okello Okello stated.
He reiterated that the Commission acts on formal submissions from government oversight bodies and stressed that no internal complaints against Okello had been recorded so far.
Efforts to get a comment from the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Grandfield Oryono, were unsuccessful as he declined to respond to repeated phone calls.
Meanwhile, Okello has reportedly been suspended from the government payroll as disciplinary and legal proceedings commence. He is expected to appear before the Dokolo District Service Commission, where dismissal from public service remains a likely outcome.
DPP
tndNews understands that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions is as well reviewing the evidence to determine the charges to be brought against him in court.
The case has reignited concern over the alarming prevalence of forgery and fraud in Uganda’s public service.
According to recent data from the Inspectorate of Government, Uganda loses over shs10 trillion annually due to ghost workers and fraudulent recruitments across ministries, agencies, and local governments.
A 2023 national audit uncovered hundreds of cases in which individuals used forged academic credentials, appointment letters, and deployment instructions to secure jobs in education and health sectors.
The audit found that dozens of districts had “ghost teachers” earning monthly salaries and some civil servants were promoted without valid academic records.
James Acar, the focal point person of Lango Civil Society Network noted that civil service corruption has long been entrenched in Uganda.
“From bribery in procurement, payroll fraud, to embezzlement of public funds, the consequences are felt most severely in service delivery,” he said.
Despite frequent promises to sanitize public service, critics argue that government oversight mechanisms remain reactive, and political interference continues to impede genuine reforms.
Anti-corruption campaigners are calling for swift and decisive action in Okello’s case, warning that failure to act will only embolden fraudsters and compromise future recruitment processes.
The Dokolo incident offers a wake-up call for Uganda’s civil service. With anti-corruption bodies like the Inspectorate of Government, the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, and the DPP taking stronger positions, it remains to be seen if systemic change can follow.
As the investigation proceeds, public attention is likely to shift to other districts and ministries, where similar fraudulent schemes may be lurking beneath the surface.
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