KAMPALA, Uganda – Hundreds of candidates whose 2025 Primary Leaving Examination results were withheld are set to appear before the Uganda National Examinations Board security committee to defend themselves against allegations of cheating.
The board announced Friday that the results for candidates in districts including Kampala, Mukono, Kisoro and Namutumba have been frozen following reports of brazen malpractice. Under the UNEB Act 2021, the board’s security committee will now sit as a formal tribunal to conduct hearings.
UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo said the board will follow the principles of natural justice, allowing candidates, their parents and school administrators to provide testimony. The move follows reports that some school heads and directors resorted to bribing or physically threatening invigilators to allow teachers into examination rooms to assist pupils.
The tribunal has the authority to take several actions based on its findings:
- Exoneration: If no evidence of wrongdoing is found, results will be released immediately.
- Cancellation: In cases where malpractice is proven, the board may cancel the results for the affected papers or the entire examination.
- Deregistration: Examination centers found to have organized or facilitated cheating face the risk of losing their UNEB registration status.
Odongo noted that while the board prefers to handle cases individually to protect innocent learners, the scale of “aggressive” malpractice in certain districts necessitated a broader probe.
In the 2024 cycle, similar hearings resulted in the cancellation of results for 182 candidates in Busia, while 216 candidates from Luwero were eventually cleared and had their results released after appearing before the committee.
The board warned parents against dealing with fraudsters claiming to be members of the security committee who offer to “clean” results for a fee. Official summons for the hearings will be issued through the respective district education offices.
