LIRA – NOVEMBER 3, 2025 – The Director of Crane Junior School in Lira is among dozens of education officials and invigilators arrested on the first day of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) as the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) cracks down on rampant malpractice.
According to a media brief released by the Board on Monday, the director was apprehended after he attempted to bribe a scout and a team of invigilators to allow "external assistance" for his candidates.
"The Director of Crane Junior School attempted to bribe the scout and invigilators so they could allow external assistance for the candidates," the UNEB statement read. "He was arrested along with the invigilators who had accepted the bribe."
This case in Lira was a highlight in a day that saw what UNEB described as a shift in cheating tactics. Despite tight security measures to prevent paper leakage, the Board reported that several schools resorted to compromising the examination officials themselves.
"Following the tight security measures that the Board has put in place to curb malpractice, especially leakage... a number of schools seem to have resorted to compromising scouts and invigilators to allow them assist candidates during the examination," stated Ms. Jennifer Kalule -Musamba, the UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer.
The arrests spanned multiple districts, revealing a range of sophisticated cheating methods:
· In Kabalagala, near Kampala, four people, including a scout and invigilators, were arrested for smuggling photocopied answers into the exam room.
· In Kaliro, the Head Teacher of Budini Boys Primary School was among seven arrested after candidates confessed to receiving help from invigilators during the mathematics paper.
· In Bundibugyo, teachers at Busalu Primary School were found disguised as cooks and cleaners, with answers hidden inside sanitary pads.
· In Kumi, a Chief Invigilator was taken into custody for allegedly photocopying and distributing the Mathematics and Social Studies (SST) papers.
UNEB confirmed that, aside from these incidents, the first day of the national examinations was conducted successfully across most of the country without major administrative challenges.
The candidates are scheduled to sit for Integrated Science and English on Day 2 of the examinations, with UNEB and police promising continued vigilance.
