The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has warned candidates, teachers, invigilators and examination scouts against engaging in examination malpractice, saying offenders risk imprisonment of up to 10 years or fines of up to Shs40 million.
The warning comes as 920,833 candidates prepare to begin the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) on Tuesday, November 3, across 16,478 examination centres countrywide.
In its fourth joint press briefing on the security of national examinations issued on Monday, November 2, UNEB said it had received whistleblower reports about individuals conducting prohibited coaching following the conclusion of candidate briefings.
The examinations body reiterated that all coaching and teaching of candidates, whether within or outside school premises, was prohibited after the October 30 briefing.
It warned that strict enforcement would be applied against teachers, school administrators and other individuals found violating the regulations.
Under Section 25 (1), (2) and (4) of the UNEB Act, Cap 259, individuals involved in examination malpractice face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to Shs40 million, or both.
The prohibited practices include possession of unauthorised materials, collusion, copying, external assistance, examination question leakage, impersonation and substitution of examination scripts.
Other offences include irregularities in examination timing, teaching candidates after the briefing and writing another candidate’s details on examination scripts.
UNEB also warned invigilators and scouts against negligence, saying those found culpable risk up to five years in prison, a fine of Shs20 million, or both under Section 26 (1) (g) of the Act.
Members of the public have been encouraged to report suspected examination malpractice through the toll-free hotline 0800-211-077. The board said whistle-blowers would receive protection and compensation for actionable information.
PLE candidates increase by 12.5%
According to UNEB, this year’s PLE candidature has increased by 12.5% from 817,885 candidates in 2025 to 920,833.
Female candidates account for 484,620 (52.7%), while males number 436,213 (47.3%).
Of the total candidature, 576,342 candidates (62.5%) are registered under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, while 344,491 (37.5%) are privately sponsored.
The board also registered 53 candidates at Upper Prison School Luzira, examination centre number 130377. Of these, six are female and 47 male.
A total of 4,655 candidates with special educational needs (SNE) are expected to sit the examinations. They comprise 2,352 males and 2,303 females.
UNEB said special arrangements had been made for these candidates, including braille examination papers, large-print papers, sign language interpreters, transcribers and an additional 45 minutes for each paper.
The board has deployed 1,544 personnel to provide support to candidates with special needs.
To strengthen examination security, the exercise will be supervised by 162 district monitors, 13,738 scouts and security officers deployed across the country.
UNEB issues examination instructions
UNEB has directed candidates to report to their examination centres by 8:30 am for morning papers and 1:30 pm for afternoon sessions to allow for identification and other preliminary procedures.
Candidates arriving late will only be admitted within the first 15 minutes after the scheduled commencement of an examination.
The board has also instructed candidates to verify that question paper seals are intact before the papers are distributed.
On answer scripts, candidates are required to use random numbers or names instead of school names to maintain the integrity of the marking process.
Writing must be done using blue or black ink, while pencils are permitted only for diagrams.
11 Wakiso candidates rescued from registration gap
Meanwhile, UNEB has resolved a registration challenge involving 11 candidates from Skyland Primary School in Wakiso District who had not been mapped to an examination centre and consequently lacked a centre number.
The board said that following its October 30 briefing, management intervened over the weekend and facilitated their registration at Kyebando UMEA Primary School, enabling them to sit the examinations.
The intervention came as the board entered the fourth week of administering the 2026 national examinations, covering the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), PLE and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
UCE examinations are nearing completion, with candidates sitting local languages and Technology and Design (Theory) on Monday, November 2. ICT Theory and selected foreign language papers are scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.
For UACE, candidate briefing will take place on Friday, November 6, ahead of written examinations running from November 9 to November 26.
The PLE examinations will begin on Tuesday with Mathematics in the morning and Social Studies and Religious Education in the afternoon. On Wednesday, candidates will sit Integrated Science in the morning and English in the afternoon.
In the statement signed by Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, UNEB’s Principal Public Relations Officer, the board wished all candidates success, urging them to observe examination regulations and maintain discipline.