The Magistrate’s Court of Kole district on Thursday, March 12, 2026, remanded Kole Deputy District Health Officer, Martin Egwang, also known as Omara Sarafino, over allegations of falsifying documents to acquire the office in 2017.
During the court hearing before Grade One Magistrate Susan Adero, Egwang was charged with three separate counts.
It is alleged that in February 2017, Egwang Martin, also known as Omara Sarafino, at Kole District Local Government, while applying for the position of Assistant District Health Officer (Maternal and Child Health), knowingly and fraudulently, with intent to defraud or deceive, uttered a false Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management transcript purportedly issued by Uganda Martyrs’ University to the District Service Commission of Kole.
Egwang, who was present during the court session, pleaded not guilty to the first count of falsification of academic documents. In the second count, Egwang is accused of impersonating a person named in a certificate, contrary to Sections 351 and 324 of the Penal Code Act, Cap. 128.
It is alleged that on the same date and place, he used a Uganda Certificate of Education issued by Uganda National Examinations Board bearing the name Egwang Martin, an engineer at Busitema University, falsely representing himself as that person before the Kole District Service Commission.
In the third count, it is alleged that Egwang, with the intent to defraud, falsely represented himself as Egwang Martin, an engineer from Busitema University, by presenting a Uganda Certificate of Education belonging to that person to secure employment with International Health Science Services at the university and to acquire a job in Kole District.
Egwang, now alleged to be Omara Sarafino, however, pleaded not guilty to both the second and third charges.
Prosecutor Jacky Sarah Mawemuka told the court during the hearing that since investigations into the case were ongoing, the court should adjourn the matter until investigations are concluded.
Counsel Emmanuel Omiat Egaro of Egaro and Company Advocates, who is representing the accused, urged the court to grant the accused bail as the law mandates, especially after presenting two sureties: Obong Denise, the brother of the accused, and Hana Grace Auma, the wife of the accused, whom he stated to be both senior civil servants.
However, the prosecutor argued that the bail plea should be denied since neither surety produced a work identity card, making them untrustworthy to guarantee bail.
Grade One Magistrate Susan Adero denied Egwang bail, stating that although Odongo and Auma were eligible sureties, being close relatives and having produced national identity cards and an LC1 letter, the failure of both sureties to produce work identification during the court hearing was questionable, considering they had enough time to organise such crucial documents needed to verify their authenticity as civil servants.
For that reason, Magistrate Adero remanded Egwang until March 26, 2026. Egwang worked at Kole District Local Government as Assistant DHO from 2017 until his arrest on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, bringing his time at the Kole District Health Department to nine years.
A news source who sought anonymity tipped tndNews, Uganda that Egwang had previously worked at the Apac District Health Department before applying to work in Kole Local Government in 2017.
The prosecution of Egwang comes amid rampant cases of falsification of academic documents in the LaLangsub-region.
Outside Kole, a week earlier, the Resident District Commissioner of Amolatar district, Francis Okello Rwotlonyo, directed the district Chief Administrative Officer to lay off at least five head teachers over cases of falsification of documents.
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