At least 17 people were arrested across Uganda on Monday during the start of the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), as authorities moved to crack down on widespread attempts at examination malpractice.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) said the first day of the exams proceeded smoothly in most parts of the country, but several schools attempted to cheat by collaborating with invigilators and scouts.
UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer, Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, said the arrests reflect the board’s intensified surveillance and zero-tolerance stance on cheating.
“The Board has put in place tight security measures to curb malpractice, especially leakage leading to prior knowledge of examinations,” Kalule-Musamba said. “A number of schools seem to have resorted to compromising scouts and invigilators to assist candidates during the examination, otherwise known as external assistance.”
She noted that some suspects were detained immediately, while others fled and are being pursued by law enforcement.
Cases of malpractice were reported in various regions.
In Kabalagala, Kampala, four officials — including a scout, a chief invigilator, and two invigilators — were arrested after allegedly smuggling photocopied Social Studies answers into the exam hall at Hillside Junior School, Kisugu. Some candidates confessed to receiving help in Mathematics.
In Kaliro, seven staff members at Budini Boys Primary School, including the head teacher and invigilators, were apprehended after pupils admitted to being assisted during the Mathematics paper.
In Bundibugyo, disguised teachers at Busalu Primary School — posing as cooks and cleaners — reportedly passed answers to candidates using papers hidden in sanitary pads placed in toilets. They fled when UNEB security teams intervened, and police are tracking them.
In Lira, police arrested the director of Caren Junior School for allegedly trying to bribe examination officials to enable cheating.
In Kumi, the chief invigilator of Kumi Primary School was detained for allegedly photocopying Mathematics and Social Studies papers and distributing them to teachers.
In Kabale, Rwababa Primary School head teacher Drake Kishaijja was taken into custody for blocking a registered candidate from sitting the Mathematics exam due to unpaid coaching fees.
In Kisoro, an invigilator at Seseme Primary School was arrested after being found with photocopied answer sheets in the examination room.
Kalule-Musamba assured the public that UNEB will take all cases to their logical conclusion.
“Those involved in aiding cheating will face the law,” she emphasized.
Candidates resume exams today with Integrated Science and English papers.