As someone once said: “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies”, for 66 pupils of Kiira Primary School in Jinja City, hope hangs in the balance as they wait to hear their fate, their futures uncertain due to alleged exam malpractices.
Reports from Kiira Primary School say most of the teachers including the headteacher who has few years to retire are now scatterbrained often forgetful and disorganized due to the matter.
“We have no answers to the parents and the children themselves; we have nothing to explain to our bosses at the Jinja City Hall, we are stressed and can not concentrate yet the term and new year has just begun…” some teachers were overheard lamenting.
This is because UNEB released the result of only one candidate out of the 67 candidates who sat from the government-grant aided UPE schools with an estimated 1000 children.
UNEB released the 2025 PLE results which were announced by the Education and Sports Minister Hon Janet Kataha Museveni who is also the First Lady on 30th January,2026 but to date the 66 pupils do not know their scores.
According to very trusted sources, UNEB has withheld the results over alleged examination malpractices in which the candidates reportedly had similar answers on their answer sheets.
It’s reported that a high-profile whistleblower with close links and with special interests in the school alerted UNEB bosses claiming that all the team of invigilators and scouts deployed to over see and monitor examinations were compromised.
Although the headteacher and teachers at Kiira Primary School have dismissed the allegations as clumsy and vague, its alleged that some chaps wetted the beak of the UNEB scouts and invigilators to allow the otherwise would be innocent pupils to cheat.
This has created a lot of trauma and tension in the school and Jinja City Education Department headed by experienced Paul Baliraine Mugajju who is now under pressure to explain not only to his immediate supervisor and the Chief Executive Officer (Town Clerk Godfrey Kisseka) but also to the parents and political leadership in the tourism city.
Like they say adding salt to the injury, the panned parading of the affected 66 former candidates before a panel of UNEB officials that was slated for Monday 23rd February,2026 was called off in the eleventh hour once again taking a toll on the children’s emotional wellbeing.
Contacted, Paul Baliraine Mugajjo, known as a very experienced and qualified educationist confirmed the now tricky and hot matter but declined to divulge details.
“it is true we have the issue you are talking about but kindly allow the concerned body which is UNEB to handle it professionally thereafter we shall be in a position to update members of the public”, Baliraine Mugajjo said in a brief telephone interview.
However, some sources suspect the whistle blower to be highly connected to the top juicy job wrangles among some senior civil servants at the City Hall who reportedly do not see eye to eye.
Sources say there is a lot of infighting at Jinja City Hall which is already affecting service delivery especially in the sensitive education department where they say anything is possible.
UNEB in a letter which is being kept under key and lock by the headteacher and the City Education Officer Paul Baliraine has given another date up to 3rd march when the fate of the very traumatized children will be heard.
The wait for the 66 pupils of Kiira Primary School is a stark reminder of the high stakes involved in examinations.
As Busoga and the nation move forward with celebrating academic achievements, these children remain in limbo, their next steps uncertain.
Efforts to get a comment from UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule-Musamba were unsuccessful as she did not respond to repeated calls.
UNEB’s decision on 3rd March will be a turning point for these pupils. Until then, the school, parents and the education fraternity anxiously await clarity.
The outcome will determine whether these children get a second chance or are left to navigate the consequences of alleged actions beyond their control.
What You Need To Know.
UNEB’s power to withhold examinations stems from the Uganda National Examinations Board Act,1983, specifically Section 21(1) which allows UNEB to cancel or withhold results if a candidate breaches examination regulations or engages in malpractice.
Section 21(2) outlines consequences for exam malpractices, including result cancellation or withholding. UNEB’s regulations and guidelines also outline procedures for handling such cases.
The procedures include investigation by UNEB of suspected malpractice cases, the affected candidates and schools are notified and invited to respond as well as candidates or the schools appear before UNEB’s Examination Security Committee to defend themselves.
The composition of UNEB’s Examination Security Committee vary depending on the matters at hand but it usually includes a mix of expertise to handle exam security and malpractice cases fairly. This includes representatives from UNEB management, senior examiners or subject specialists, security experts and other relevant stakeholders.
