Kyambogo University senior lecturer is at the verge of losing his academic qualifications to the level of Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) certificate.
Mr. David Onume is accused of falsification of documents due to his failure to produce his original Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).
Allegedly, Mr. Onume used another person’s (Peter Agole) UCE certificate with the former having dropped out of school at Comboni College – Lira in Senior Two in 1989.
Onume later used this UCE certificate and stormed Kampala city in 1994, subsequently landing an askari’s job at the then Uganda Polytechnic Kyambogo (UPK).
He further employed the certificate to enrol for a certificate, diploma and bachelor’s degree in Mechanical engineering at Kyambogo University.
Apparently, Onume is seeking to retire early from Kyambogo University where he serves as a Lecturer, having illicitly acquired a Master’s degree at the same institution.
The troubled gentleman is citing medical reasons for early retirement but the University Human Resource Management Directorate was tipped about Onume’s woes regarding falsification of documents.
Sources familiar with the matter reported that Onume’s dark secret would have stayed intact if he had not hijacked a close friend’s multibillion project. Onume was accused by Solomon Ongora for unfairy taking over the latter’s pharmaceutical discovery in bamboo.
Onume capitalized on Ongora’s absence in the country and contacted Kyambogo University head of mechanical engineering & production department, Dr. Eng. Titus Bitek Watmon and convinced him to team up with him to take over Ongora’s project because it had a lot of idle billions.
Watmon fell for the scam and agreed to present the project to Kyambogo Vice Chancellor, Prof. Eli Katunnguka as Onume’s project.
By the time Ongora returned, Onume was the man of the hour at his expense, yet he (Ongora) knew Onume’s dark secret which he used as revenge on the scandalous scholar.
Onume was summoned to court to verify his academic documents, which he failed at since his former school – Comboni College denied him.
With heat too much for Onume to handle, he opted for early retirement, a process that Kyambogo University could not swiftly complete since he had caused unimaginable loss to the institution.
The Human Resource Director at Kyambogo University, Richard K Manano demanded that Onume defends the accusations against him before according the latter early retirement.
“However, your request to retire on medical grounds has come at the time the appointments board directed that the authenticity of your UCE index No. U0012/036 be established. As such, your request will be considered alongside the appointment board’s directive,” Manano wrote to Onume.
He added: “The board will be interested to know that your request to retire on medical rounds is not an attempt to avoid the investigation against you for alleged gross misconduct
Manano further warned Onume that should it be found that he uttered another person’s certificate, he was due for disciplinary process in accordance with Regulation 11.221 relating to forgery, falsifying/presenting false documents and or records for the purpose of disseminating wrong information, obtaining money or reward or favour and 11.22 (1) and (ii) falsification of records or documents.
Stubborn Onume did not heed the university’s demand. This forced Manano to write to him again on March 31, 2022 reminding him to comply as earlier directed
“Be informed that the Appointments Board has again directed that you should provide the required proof within the stipulated time (14 days) and failure to do so, your salary will be withheld 21 days after the lapse of the deadline stipulated in this letter,” Manano warned.
If confirmed by the university that Onume used Agole’s UCE certificate, his qualifications will be cancelled and hence recall all the subsequent qualifications he got by virtue of the fake certificate.
Since Onume dropped out of school in S2, it means the only genuine certificate he will have to his name is a PLE certificate thus officially reducing the now Master’s graduate to a P7 dropout.
