Kampala | As Uganda’s 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) concluded, police in the Greater Masaka region arrested at least 15 invigilators and teachers suspected of aiding students during the exams. The arrests came as the country’s 817,885 registered candidates sat their final papers Integrated Science and English marking the end of their seven-year primary school cycle.
Most arrests were made in Masaka District, Rakai, Kyotera, and Masaka City. In Masaka alone, eight teachers were detained for allegedly writing answers for students and coaching them during the exam session. Police also apprehended a person impersonating a scout and a school director suspected of attempting to bribe officials from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) to influence monitoring of the exam centres.
Southern Regional Police spokesperson Twaha Kasirye said evidence was recovered at the scenes, including answer sheets and notes used by invigilators to guide pupils. Some schools were singled out as “hot-spots” for malpractice.
In parallel, national officials confirmed that multiple cases of cheating and unauthorized help were recorded during the first day of the exams. These included photocopied answer sheets found in examination rooms, coordination between invigilators and students, and impersonation of UNEB field staff.
The UNEB has warned that anyone convicted of assisting candidates or leaking exam material could face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to Shs 20 million for invigilators, and up to Shs 40 million or ten years for leaking questions even if they are fake.
Officials emphasise that the crackdown aims to preserve the credibility of the national exams, which inform secondary school placements and shape thousands of students’ futures. Despite the disruptions, the exam process was declared to have proceeded “without major hindrance” in most areas.