ACADEMIC DWARF! Mbarara Woman MP Rwebyambu's A'level Results Shock Nation

Mbarara District is still in recovery mode after documents alleged to be MP Margaret Rwebyambu Ayebare’s A’Level results leaked into public WhatsApp groups, village baraza meetings, and boda stages — leaving residents laughing, sweating, collapsing, and demanding emergency prayers.

Some claim they needed glucose. Others asked for counselling. One boda rider dramatically shouted:

“These results — are they UNEB or are they from someone testing a new pencil?

According to the papers circulating everywhere from WhatsApp groups to village gossip hotspots, Ayebare allegedly harvested so many F.9s that one elder wondered: “Was she doing exams or was UNEB simply marking her attendance?”

The papers show an avalanche of F.9s so catastrophic that one elder asked whether UNEB was “marking performance or merely confirming presence.”

The leak has ignited fiery debate, especially coming just weeks after Ayebare’s defeat in the NRM primaries and now attempting an independent bid.

Residents, already disgruntled by her political performance, say the circulating results merely confirm what they “always suspected.”

Some voters claim these findings explain her inability to champion meaningful development during her time in Parliament.

“We now understand why she failed to deliver. She spent more time attacking others than working for the people. She can’t comprehend things,” one resident fumed.

Another resident, wiping tears of laughter, added:

“We now know why she spent five years fighting opponents instead of fighting for development — maybe she was still fighting the results!”

According to the documents making rounds, Ayebare reportedly attended Kibubura Girls SSS for O-Level and Kyeizooba Girls SS for A-Level. She started her education at Bwengure Primary School-PLE in 1984.

At O’level she scored an F.9 in mathematics implying that she did not understand anything in the four years period in that subject. This means the calculator [head] refused cooperation, according to villagers.

The loudest laughter came after voters saw the A’level scores. Critics claim the results add up to three points — the same number of points one villager’s cow got when it accidentally stepped on UNEB answer sheets in 1998, according to local legend.

The results include F9s in Economics, Geography (0) and also Literature in English (0). She got a subsidiary 6. This score, does not warrant a university admission.

According to the National Council for Higher Education, to be eligible for a degree program at a university in Uganda, applicants generally need at least two principal passes from the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) at the same sitting.

You cannot join a university even with only one principal pass for a degree program, as the general requirement is at least two principal passes.

A principal pass in UACE is a grade awarded for a subject at the advanced level, with A, B, C,D, E representing passes. E is the lowest and A being the highest.

Rwebyambu scored ‘0s’ (Zeroes) , according to the documents in circulation.

To drive this point home, “O” is not a principal pass in the UACE (Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education); it is a subsidiary pass. A principal pass is awarded for grades A through E, with A being the highest and E the lowest. An “O” grade indicates a subsidiary pass, which is often combined with a principal pass for admission to some tertiary courses, but not a university degree program.

KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY ON SPOT

After failing S.6 exams in 1991, Rwebyambu did not proceed to improve on her knowledge until 2007 when she went to Kyambogo University and sat for mature age entry exams as she contemplated joining politics.

Mature age entry exams in Uganda were introduced to provide an alternative pathway to higher education for adults who do not have the traditional entry qualifications, such as high school certificates. They allow adults to gain admission to university even if they lack the standard A-level or diploma qualifications.This means Rwebyambu did not attempt to repeat S.6 but instead bought time and went for mature age window, 16 years after scoring Zeroes at S.6.

She would later get admitted for a Bachelors degree (Social Works and Social Administration) at Kyambogo University and graduated in 2011 , according to information obtained in the directory of the 11th parliament of Uganda (2021-2026).

BUT…WAS KYAMBOGO QUALIFIED TO CONDUCT MATURE AGE EXAMS?

But what has intensified the scandal is the emerging debate over which universities are accredited to conduct Mature Age examinations.

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) recently reaffirmed that Mature Age Entry certificates are only valid for two years from the date of examination. NCHE spokesperson Saulo Waigolo also reiterated that only five institutions are accredited to administer the exam: Makerere, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Gulu University, Bugema University and the Islamic University in Uganda.

Kyambogo University is not on that list, a detail that has further fueled public suspicion and demands for clarity.

This has further sent shockwaves through the community.

One youth leader lamented:

“Eh! So Kyambogo wasn’t even on the list? Then who admitted who? Was it Kyambogo or Kyam-tebogo? We need answers!”

Village comedians quickly took advantage of the scandal. At a recent social event, a local MC announced:

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the only MP who can turn an A-Level combination into zero points without using a calculator!”

Meanwhile, local goats and cows have come out to protest—not because of the results themselves, but because villagers keep comparing their intelligence to the grades being circulated.

One elder was overheard scolding his animals:

“You people, don’t embarrass me like these results. Even you can get a Pass 8!”

Local leaders and youth groups have since launched a verbal assault, accusing the former legislator of engaging in “politics of deception”, claiming she used propaganda and tribal rhetoric to fight opponents with stronger academic records.

“Mbarara deserves leaders of integrity, not people who hide behind fake narratives,” a youth activist told reporters.

While Ayebare has not publicly responded to the storm, the controversy continues to spread like wildfire, with many residents declaring that she has “lost the moral authority” to seek public office again — unless the academic questions are conclusively addressed.

As the drama unfolds, all eyes now turn to Kyambogo University, UNEB, and NCHE to clarify the authenticity, legality, and validity of the documents shaking Mbarara’s political landscape.

QUESTIONS ABOUT A POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA

Rwebyambu has further become a butt of all jokes among her elite voters after claiming to posses a Postgraduate Diploma in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, from Lund University, Sweden. That she got it in 2019.

In real sense, this is not a professional postgraduate diploma but just a training program. Simply put, the way you can attend a 2-3 days training workshop and you get a certificate at the end.

Redpepper online investigation shows that Lund University in Sweden, in collaboration with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), often offers an International Training Programme (ITP) in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). This is instead a training program rather than a standard/formal academic postgraduate diploma.

The Sida-funded initiative is not in any way a formal academic Postgraduate Diploma that an individual applies for independently through the university’s general admissions. The training is always commissioned at the mercy of Sida when funds are available.

It always has participants from Uganda because Sida has strong partnership with Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH).

For claiming this training program as an academic PGD whereas not — this has prompted villagers in Mbarara to joke:

“Even our SACCO workshops give certificates — does that make us professors?”

Born 29 March, 1970, Rwebyambu describes her occupation/profession as a Social Worker.

Her Employment Record include : Member of Parliament, 2021 to date; Director, Capacity Building. Science Research Consortia, 2018 to date; Programmes Manager, National STI Control Unit. Mulago National Referral Hospital, 2012-2018: Regional Field Supervisor, Uganda National Bureau of Statistics, 2001-2011; Office and Field Editor, Uganda National Bureau of Statistics. 1994-2000.

Her special interests include Media engagements; travelling and working with communities.

For now, Mbarara remains united in one thing:They haven’t laughed this hard since the day a politician promised to bring an airport to a parish without electricity.