The Uganda Prisons Services (UPS) has warned the public of fake recruitment adverts. 

UPS spokesperson, Frank Baine, made the announcement during the weekly security press briefing at the Uganda Police Force headquarters on Monday.

“I am here to tell everyone that we are not recruiting in prisons as of now. When there are recruitments we announce on radios, TVs and inform the whole country. So please stop being cheated,” he said.

He said prison jobs are free for all who meet their set qualifications.

He urged the public to desist from sharing fishy materials on jobs on social media, saying doing so escalates fraud and increases victims of the scam.  

UPS was Monday forced to make the announcement after hundreds of Ugandans were reportedly conned after a fraudster extracted a press release used by the entity two years back to call for applications from the public.

“What the person (fraudster) did, he removed the dates and the other details which were on page two, then he circulated it in the media,” he said.

After the development, he said the public has been calling the entity enquiring about the jobs.

“Some of them (victims) have been crying saying that somebody has been asking them to deposit sh50,000 to download a form,” he said.  

In a bid to replenish their numbers, UPS regularly opens for recruitment.

According to the UPS website, applicants must be Ugandan citizens with the minimum qualification of Senior Six or its equivalent.  Additionally, they must not have a criminal record and be ready to work long hours.

The candidates must be aged between 18-25 years and must be physically fit and ready to undertake the requisite 12 months basic prisons course.

According to the requirements, the candidates must possess no criminal record.

Uganda is one of the countries with a biting unemployment rate, with recent reports indicating that the country releases over 700,000 graduates into the job market although only about 90,000 are able to get absorbed.