The police in Oyam district have arrested three people, including the director and headteacher of Atura Community Day Primary School, for allegedly attempting to bribe a Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) scout ahead of the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) on Monday.
The suspects, George Odongo, the school director, Simon Ekut, a former teacher at the same school, and Awoko Lavoiser, a teacher at St. Gracious Primary School in Lira City, are accused of offering Shs 1 million to a Uneb scout from Lira who had been deployed to supervise exams in Oyam district.
According to Uneb executive director Dan Odongo, the trio reportedly sought to gain early access to examination papers. They were arrested at Garden Hotel in Lira after security teams received a tip-off about the bribery attempt.
“The director contacted the scout with the intention of bribing him to allow teachers access to the examination papers before the official start time,” Odongo said.
“Our security teams acted promptly and arrested the suspects. They will be charged under Section 26 of the UNEB Act.”
The Shs 1 million intended for the bribe was recovered and exhibited as evidence.
Tough Penalties for Malpractice
Section 26(1)(g) of the UNEB Act prescribes a prison term of up to five years, a fine of Shs 20 million, or both, for anyone found guilty of examination malpractice. Over the years, Uneb has intensified efforts to curb exam leakages that once fueled widespread cheating.
Still, some schools continue to exploit weaknesses in the system, often through bribery of officials who handle or escort exam materials, or supervisors who permit malpractice during examinations.
In previous incidents, teachers have been caught writing answers on classroom chalkboards during exams. PLE remains one of Uganda’s highest-risk examinations due to its large number of candidates and nationwide coverage.
To counter this, Uneb has deployed both uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel to escort and monitor examination materials at every stage. Odongo warned teachers, headteachers, and school directors against attempting to influence examinations.
“You have done enough teaching. Let the children sit their exams on their own. Any involvement in malpractice will cost them their results,” he cautioned.
He revealed that Uneb had received intelligence about similar bribery schemes in Kayunga, Gomba, Buyende, and parts of Greater Kampala, adding that security teams remain on high alert.
By Saturday, Uneb confirmed that the nationwide distribution of examination materials had been completed without major incident. However, some schools in Katakwi, Otuke, and Alebtong districts were affected by flooding.
Local authorities arranged alternative venues to ensure that all registered candidates could sit for their exams. The Primary Leaving Examinations officially begin on Monday, starting with Mathematics.
Even before the exams commence, several arrests have already been made across the country, including individuals caught selling fake examination papers and others preparing secondary school students to impersonate registered candidates.
A total of 817,885 candidates have registered for this year’s PLE, up from 797,444 in 2024, marking a 2.5 per cent increase. The candidates come from 16,140 examination centres across Uganda. Of these, 389,529 (48%) are male and 428,356 (52%) are female.
Candidates under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme account for 522,039 (64 per cent), while 295,846 (36 per cent) are privately sponsored.
Among the registered candidates are 61 inmates from Upper Prison School in Luzira, seven female and 54 male and 3,644 candidates with special needs, including the visually impaired and physically disabled.
By 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, Uneb confirmed that all exam materials had reached every district without incident. In flood-hit areas, officials relocated candidates to safer grounds to ensure a smooth start to the examinations. Uneb also reminded examination officials to double-check parcel labels and timetables to prevent mix-ups that have in the past caused delays and confusion during national exams.
