By Ben Musanje
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has warned school heads against blocking candidates from sitting their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations over unpaid school fees, as 2,000 scouts and 600 security personnel have been deployed to safeguard the examination process.
UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer Jennifer Kalule-Musamba said the Board was concerned about the practice of denying candidates access to examinations, warning that such actions could jeopardise learners’ academic progress.
Speaking during the first joint security press briefing at Police headquarters in Naguru on Monday, October 12, 2026, Kalule-Musamba said UNEB would work with schools to put in place measures to help them recover outstanding fees when examination results are released.
The warning comes as 503,055 candidates begin their UCE examinations across 4,514 examination centers countrywide, marking a 16.4 per cent increase in candidature from the 432,165 candidates registered in 2025.
“The Board will work with schools to put in place measures to assist them recover their fees at the time of release of results,” Kalule-Musamba said.
She urged school administrators to prioritize candidates’ right to sit examinations while allowing institutions to pursue legitimate avenues for recovering outstanding fees.
The deployment of 2,000 scouts and 600 security personnel is aimed at strengthening examination security and ensuring the smooth conduct of the national assessment exercise.
Kalule-Musamba said the first phase of examination papers had been delivered to all examination stations in good time, despite logistical challenges caused by heavy rains that flooded roads in some parts of the country.
Preliminary reports indicated that examinations had started smoothly across the country, notwithstanding weather-related disruptions in some areas.
Monday’s papers included Mathematics Paper One in the morning, followed by Chemistry Papers One and Two in the afternoon.
This year’s UCE examination is the fourth cohort to be assessed under the Competency-Based Curriculum at the lower secondary school level.
Of the 503,055 registered candidates, 264,722, representing 52.7 per cent, are female, while 238,333, or 47.3 per cent, are male.
A total of 187,918 candidates, representing 37.3 per cent, are sponsored under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme, compared with 154,642 in 2025. The remaining 315,132 candidates are privately sponsored.
UNEB also reported that 906 candidates are registered under Special Needs Education, with arrangements made to ensure they receive the support required to participate in the examinations.
The Board has provided Braille answer sheets for blind candidates, large-print question papers for learners with low vision and sign-language interpreters for deaf candidates. Support personnel will assist candidates with severe physical impairments during practical examinations, while transcribers will be available for those with dyslexia and other reading or writing difficulties.
Kalule-Musamba also cautioned candidates against indiscipline, reminding them that registering for national examinations did not exempt them from complying with school regulations.
She said UNEB would not intervene on behalf of candidates subjected to disciplinary action by their schools on account of indiscipline.
The Board said its 2026 examination exercise is being conducted under the theme, “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive, and Innovative Processes.”
The theme emphasizes the need to protect examination materials, uphold the credibility of assessment and certification, and ensure that all learners, including those with special needs, are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
Kalule-Musamba encouraged candidates to remain confident, saying the examinations were intended to help them progress to the next stage of their education and career paths. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
