Daniel Mugula
2/11/2026
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has intervened to secure examination places for 11 pupils from Skyland Primary School in Wakiso District who had been left out of the registration process, assuring parents that they will sit this year’s Primary Leaving Examination (PLE).
The pupils were registered at Kyebando UMEA Primary School following an intervention by UNEB after it emerged that their school did not have an examination centre number and had mistakenly believed they had been registered at another school in Mukono District.
Speaking to journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru on Monday, UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule Musamba said the Board had directed the school to identify an examination centre in Wakiso that could accommodate the affected learners. The pupils were subsequently registered at Kyebando UMEA Primary School.
Musamba reassured parents and learners that the 11 candidates would be allowed to sit their examinations.
The development comes as Uganda enters the fourth week of the 2026 national examinations, with a total of 920,833 candidates registered across 16,478 examination centres countrywide, representing a 12.5 per cent increase from the 817,885 candidates recorded last year.
According to UNEB, female candidates account for 484,620 (52.7 per cent) of the total candidature, while males number 436,213 (47.3 per cent). Government-sponsored candidates under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme stand at 576,342 (62.5 per cent), while 344,491 (37.5 per cent) are privately sponsored.
The three national examination series are at different stages, with the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations nearing completion, the PLE examinations beginning this week and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations scheduled to commence next week.
UCE candidates are expected to complete their examinations with optional local language papers and Technology and Design today, followed by ICT Theory and foreign language papers on Tuesday, November 3.
PLE candidates will begin their examinations on Tuesday with Mathematics in the morning, followed by Social Studies and Religious Education in the afternoon. The examinations will conclude on Wednesday, November 4, with Integrated Science in the morning and English in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, UACE candidates will be briefed at their respective schools and examination centres on Friday, November 6, before beginning their written examinations on Monday, November 9. The examinations will run until Thursday, November 26, 2026.
UNEB said final preparations were underway, including the distribution of examination materials and deployment of contracted personnel to ensure the smooth conduct of the examinations.
The Board also revealed that 53 candidates, comprising 47 males and six females, are sitting their examinations at Uganda Government Upper Prison School in Luzira under Centre Number 130377.
A total of 4,655 candidates have registered with Special Needs Education (SNE) requirements. These include 2,352 males and 2,303 females.
The candidates will receive specialised support, including Braille question papers and answer sheets for blind learners, large-print question papers for those with low vision, sign language interpreters for deaf candidates and transcribers for learners with dyslexia and severe physical impairments affecting their ability to read and write.
All candidates with special needs will be granted an additional 45 minutes for each examination paper. UNEB has deployed 1,544 support personnel to provide the necessary assistance.
The Board has urged scouts and invigilators to remain vigilant and ensure that learners with special needs receive appropriate support. Examination officials have also been asked to cooperate with UNEB-deployed support personnel.
The conduct of the PLE examinations will be overseen by 162 district monitors and 13,738 scouts, with security personnel deployed across the country to safeguard examination materials, candidates and field officers.
UNEB has warned schools against teaching or coaching PLE candidates following the briefing conducted on Friday, October 30, saying the examination process is already underway. Musamba cautioned that schools and individuals found coaching candidates after the briefing would face action in accordance with examination regulations.
Candidates have also been reminded to report to their examination rooms by 8:30am for morning papers and 1:30pm for afternoon papers to allow for identification and verification. Late candidates may only be admitted within the first 15 minutes after the examination begins.
They have further been advised to ensure that examination paper envelopes have not been tampered with before opening, carefully follow instructions on question papers and use the correct school random number, personal number and name on their scripts. Candidates are required to write their answers using blue or black pens, as work written in pencil will not be marked except for drawings.
The Board has reiterated its warning against examination malpractice, including smuggling unauthorised materials into examination rooms, copying, collusion, examination leakage, impersonation, substitution of scripts, disruptive behaviour, exceeding the allocated examination time, coaching candidates after briefing and writing another candidate’s name or number on an answer script.
UNEB warned that anyone involved in examination malpractice would face prosecution under the UNEB Act, Cap 259. Under Section 25 (1), (2) and (4), offenders risk a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of Shs40 million or both.
Invigilators and scouts who negligently allow malpractice under their supervision also risk prosecution under Section 26 (1) (g), which provides for a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, a fine of Shs20 million or both.
The Board has also cautioned the public against individuals operating social media platforms and soliciting money under the false promise of accessing and supplying UNEB examination papers.
Members of the public with information about suspected examination malpractice have been urged to report through UNEB’s toll-free number, 0800-211-077. The Board said whistleblowers would be protected under its Whistleblower Policy and compensated if the information provided is found useful.
Musamba urged candidates to remain calm and confident, emphasising that examinations are intended to assess their academic achievements and determine their readiness to progress to the next level of education, rather than to make them fail.
