Police probe Hoima chief LC5 over forgery
Jul 30, 2010
THE Police are investigating allegations that the Hoima district chairman, George Bagonza Tinkamanyire, he has forged academic papers.
By Pascal Kwesiga
THE Police are investigating allegations that the Hoima district chairman, George Bagonza Tinkamanyire, he has forged academic papers.
This follows a petition filed by Geoffrey Rwakabale, who is seeking his nullification from the forthcoming NRM party primaries.
The director of criminal investigations, Moses Sakira, wrote to Makerere university which allegedly issued Tinkamanyire with a Grade III teachers’ certificate in 1987, seeking verification of his academic documents.
In a July 15 letter, Sakira asked the university’s academic registrar to verify whether Tinkamanyire was a student of Duhaga Teachers’ college.
The Police are also investigating whether the two certificates held by Tinkamanyire with different serial numbers S/No 84-30-82 and 84-030-82 were issued by Makerere.
“The purpose of this letter is to verify whether George Tinkamanyire was a student of Duhaga teachers’ college and was awarded a grade III teachers’ certificate dated January 1, 1987, S/No 84-30-82 or 84-030-82 by Makerere university,†the letter read.
Sakira has directed the mid-western regional criminal investigations directorate chief, Charles Dickens Olinga, to investigate if Tinkamanyire attended Duhaga teachers’ college, which is now Bulera teachers’ college.
He also directed olinga to retrieve the list of attendance and academic performance reports of the district chairman from the year of entry to the completion of the course.
“Retrieve the lists of attendance and academic performance reports from the year of entry until completion of the course,†said the July 15 letter to Olinga.
Tinkamanyire was sued in 2006 by Fred Kyabooga, an aggrieved voter, who sought his nullification from nomination as a candidate for the post of the district chairman.
Fort portal high court judge Rugadya Atwooki dismissed the case in favour of Tinkamanyire, saying the petition was filed out of time and was lacking in merit.
Another petition has been filed to the NRM electoral commission against Tinkamanyire by party member Julius Tuhaise.
He claims the district chairman completed his studies at Duhaga in 1984 but the results of his final examinations were cancelled along with others over examination malpractices.
He added that Tinkamanyire should have re-sat the same examinations in 1986 but he instead continued working as a licensed teacher and obtained the certificate by tricks and fraudulent practices.
Tuhaise also said Tinkamanyire’s certificates dated January 1, 1987 were allegedly issued by Makerere and signed by John Ssebuwufu and Hyuha Mukwanason as vice-chancellor and registrar respectively, yet the two officials were not holding those positions at that time.
“John Ssebuwufu was vice-chancellor from 1993-94 and Hyuha was in fact appointed registrar in 1992. Bernard Onyango was the registrar from 1970-1992,†the petition read.
The petition said the certificate of completion of formal education of an advanced level standard or its equivalent dated December 28, 2005 and allegedly issued by the national council for higher education was wrong, since it was not issued in the format prescribed by the second schedule parliamentary elections act. It said the Uganda National Examinations Board was not consulted.
“The certificate is illegal and invalid and does not qualify Tinkamanyire for nomination. if used again, it would invalidate his nomination or election,†the petition added.
Tuhaise threatened to mobilize NRM supporters to take Tinkamanyire to court if he was not disqualified by the party’s electoral commission.
But Tinkamanyire has said his papers are genuine, using the case he won in 2006 as his defence. “Whoever is trying to resurrect it is wasting time because I will defeat them again,†he said.
Tinkamanyire disowned the certificate No 84-030-82, saying it was forged by the people who sued him in 2006.
He added that he delayed to pick his certificate from Makerere and by the time he went to get it, Ssebuwufu was the vice-chancellor, adding that his certificate had to be back-dated.
Tinkamanyire said his troubles with Mugenyi and Rwakabale began when he opposed their plan to grab peoples’ land in the district.
Under the local Government act, section 5(i), anyone found to have assumed a political office with forged academic documents is liable to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.
THE Police are investigating allegations that the Hoima district chairman, George Bagonza Tinkamanyire, he has forged academic papers.
This follows a petition filed by Geoffrey Rwakabale, who is seeking his nullification from the forthcoming NRM party primaries.
The director of criminal investigations, Moses Sakira, wrote to Makerere university which allegedly issued Tinkamanyire with a Grade III teachers’ certificate in 1987, seeking verification of his academic documents.
In a July 15 letter, Sakira asked the university’s academic registrar to verify whether Tinkamanyire was a student of Duhaga Teachers’ college.
The Police are also investigating whether the two certificates held by Tinkamanyire with different serial numbers S/No 84-30-82 and 84-030-82 were issued by Makerere.
“The purpose of this letter is to verify whether George Tinkamanyire was a student of Duhaga teachers’ college and was awarded a grade III teachers’ certificate dated January 1, 1987, S/No 84-30-82 or 84-030-82 by Makerere university,†the letter read.
Sakira has directed the mid-western regional criminal investigations directorate chief, Charles Dickens Olinga, to investigate if Tinkamanyire attended Duhaga teachers’ college, which is now Bulera teachers’ college.
He also directed olinga to retrieve the list of attendance and academic performance reports of the district chairman from the year of entry to the completion of the course.
“Retrieve the lists of attendance and academic performance reports from the year of entry until completion of the course,†said the July 15 letter to Olinga.
Tinkamanyire was sued in 2006 by Fred Kyabooga, an aggrieved voter, who sought his nullification from nomination as a candidate for the post of the district chairman.
Fort portal high court judge Rugadya Atwooki dismissed the case in favour of Tinkamanyire, saying the petition was filed out of time and was lacking in merit.
Another petition has been filed to the NRM electoral commission against Tinkamanyire by party member Julius Tuhaise.
He claims the district chairman completed his studies at Duhaga in 1984 but the results of his final examinations were cancelled along with others over examination malpractices.
He added that Tinkamanyire should have re-sat the same examinations in 1986 but he instead continued working as a licensed teacher and obtained the certificate by tricks and fraudulent practices.
Tuhaise also said Tinkamanyire’s certificates dated January 1, 1987 were allegedly issued by Makerere and signed by John Ssebuwufu and Hyuha Mukwanason as vice-chancellor and registrar respectively, yet the two officials were not holding those positions at that time.
“John Ssebuwufu was vice-chancellor from 1993-94 and Hyuha was in fact appointed registrar in 1992. Bernard Onyango was the registrar from 1970-1992,†the petition read.
The petition said the certificate of completion of formal education of an advanced level standard or its equivalent dated December 28, 2005 and allegedly issued by the national council for higher education was wrong, since it was not issued in the format prescribed by the second schedule parliamentary elections act. It said the Uganda National Examinations Board was not consulted.
“The certificate is illegal and invalid and does not qualify Tinkamanyire for nomination. if used again, it would invalidate his nomination or election,†the petition added.
Tuhaise threatened to mobilize NRM supporters to take Tinkamanyire to court if he was not disqualified by the party’s electoral commission.
But Tinkamanyire has said his papers are genuine, using the case he won in 2006 as his defence. “Whoever is trying to resurrect it is wasting time because I will defeat them again,†he said.
Tinkamanyire disowned the certificate No 84-030-82, saying it was forged by the people who sued him in 2006.
He added that he delayed to pick his certificate from Makerere and by the time he went to get it, Ssebuwufu was the vice-chancellor, adding that his certificate had to be back-dated.
Tinkamanyire said his troubles with Mugenyi and Rwakabale began when he opposed their plan to grab peoples’ land in the district.
Under the local Government act, section 5(i), anyone found to have assumed a political office with forged academic documents is liable to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine.