By Bob, Edited by Mike Rwothomio 

In a stark illustration of the acute youth unemployment challenge, hundreds of job seekers ranging from Primary Seven (P.7) leavers to university degree holders are flooding recruitment centers across Zombo District to apply for the Uganda Police Force's (UPF) three-month Special Police Constable (SPC) positions, the only viable employment opportunity currently available.

The UPF's nationwide drive to recruit 100,000 Election SPCs, announced recently, offers a monthly stipend of UGX 469,000 and targets security support for the January 2026 general elections. 

In Zombo, the initiative has triggered an unprecedented surge in applications, with queues forming at Paidha Central Police Station, GISO offices, LCIII chairpersons' residences, and National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) branches in Paidha.

Applicants include graduates in education, social sciences, business administration, and information technology and qualifications far exceeding the minimum requirement of a Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) result slip.

“I graduated two years ago with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration but have never secured stable employment,” said Jane Aluma, 27, from Paidha Town.

Peter Okech (pseudonym), a diploma holder in Secondary Education unemployed for nearly three years, added: “This is the first real opportunity to support myself and my family.”

The influx has created a beehive of economic activity for local secretarial bureaus, overwhelmed by demands for passport photos, photocopies, and document certification.

Local leaders continue to advocate for industrial and private-sector investments to create sustainable skilled jobs and absorb the district's educated youth workforce, which comprises the majority of Zombo's over 300,000 population.

Zombo District Police Commander SP Job Mutegeki, speaking Tuesday at Skylux Garden in Paidha during the Alur Kingdom coordination meeting, urged community mobilization: “We need 800 or more youths from Zombo to seize this opportunity.”

He emphasized the temporary contract's role in election security and community policing.

Recruitment Details

Youths converge at the NIRA offices to get their IDs.

Eligibility Criteria: Ugandan citizen, National ID, age 18+, PLE certificate, physical fitness, clean criminal record, registered voter in district, not serving in any security agency. Women strongly encouraged.

Application Requirements: Handwritten letter to the Inspector General of Police; photocopies of academic documents and National ID; one recent passport photo; recommendation letters from LC1, LCIII, and GISO.

Submission Deadline: In-person at District/Divisional Police Headquarters by November 1, 2025.

Selection Process: Shortlisting followed by interviews; impersonation or forged documents will result in arrest and prosecution.

Successful candidates will undergo training and be deployed locally for the three-month contract.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa your number one grassroot information