Military, police out to limit damage

By Frank Kimboy
The Citizen Reporter
Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) and the Police Force have launched investigations into reports that hundreds of their personnel used forged certificates to get employment.Yesterday’s announcement came just a day after National Identification Authority (Nida) Director General Dickson Maimu said Nida had established that there was widespread forgery of academic certificates among members of the disciplined forces.

Mr Maimu said it had been discovered in the first phase of the national identification process for Dar es Salaam Region that 248 TPDF soldiers and 700 police officers had forged certificates, adding that there were some cases where more than one person had the same certificate.

Responding to the Nida revelation, top military and police officers said they had learned of the anomaly through the media, and promised thorough investigations.

Police said in a one-page statement signed by spokesperson Advera Senso that the force had set up a special team to investigate the matter. The team comprises officers from the administration and investigation commissions at police headquarters.

At the same time, TPDF said it would work with state agencies in investigating all members of the military to confirm if there were any personnel with forged certificates.

“We have learnt of the news from media...there was no official communication from Nida, but due to the sensitivity of the matter, TPDF has decided to carry out a thorough investigation,” the TPDF spokesperson, Colonel Kapambala Mgawe, told the media at the army headquarters.

He said the investigations would involve the Police Force, Nida, National Examinations Council of Tanzania (Necta), Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU), National Council for Technical Education (Nacte) as well as various higher learning institutions.

Col Mgawe said those found to possess forged certificates would face court-martial according to military regulations.
“Under Section 8.26 (1)(C) of the defence forces regulations, any soldier who deliberately gives misleading information to join the force or obtain anything will appear before a military court and if found guilty, he or she will be jailed in addition to being dismissed from the army,” he said.

However, the Police Force did not specify measures to be taken against its members who have forged certificates.
“Since the force has been named in the matter, the force’s rules and regulations will be followed in handling the issue,” reads part of the police statement.

Responding to reporters’ questions, Col Mgawe defended the TPDF’s recruitment system, saying the certificates of those seeking to join the military were closely scrutinised.

“In the 1980s and early 1990s, we only relied on certificates presented by people who applied to join the TPDF, but with the advances made in science and technology, we have been forced to involve more stakeholders,” he said.
Col Mgawe said the TPDF had been involving the Police Force, Necta, TCU and Nacte in verifying applicants’ adacemic documents.

On Monday, Mr Maimu said widespread forgery of academic certificates by members of TPDF and Police Force was hindering smooth issuance of national identity cards.Nida was forced to push back by three months the start of the issuing of national identity cards to public workers living in Dar es Salaam as a result, he added.

Another reason for the delay is the need to compare particulars that Nida had with those in the records of other state agencies like the National Electoral Commission (NEC), Constitutional Review Commission, Higher Education Students Loans Board (HESLB) and Tanzania Revenue Authority.

Mr Maimu said the decision by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to change its postal address code into a residential one had also played a role in Nida’s decision to postpone the exercise. Elaborating, Mr Maimu said the addresses would also be included in the national registration database.