ADMISSIONS MESS EXPLODES! Mama Janet Petitioned Over ‘Corrupt’ Health Courses Interviews
By Amos Tayebwa
A storm is brewing inside Uganda’s education sector after furious health educationists, student leaders, MPs and other stakeholders dragged top Ministry of Education officials to First Lady and Education Minister Janet Kataaha Museveni over what they describe as a “corrupt, illegal and discriminatory” admission system targeting A’ Level candidates seeking government sponsorships in Health Training and TVET institutions.
The angry petitioners are now demanding urgent intervention to suspend or completely cancel the controversial interview-based admissions system for the 2026/2027 academic year, accusing officials in the TVET O&M (Technical and Vocational Education and Training Operations and Management) and Health Education and Training (HET) departments of creating confusion, favouritism and corruption in admissions.
The explosive petitions, which have also been copied to the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Education, the Executive Director TVET Council and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, claim the system is operating contrary to the Government White Paper on Education and existing Public University Joint Admissions Board (PUJAB) procedures.
According to the petitioners, the Government White Paper recommended the establishment of a Joint Admissions Board (JAB) to coordinate admissions into universities and other tertiary institutions through centralized systems already existing under the Department of Admissions and Scholarships in Higher Education.
Every year, government sponsors approximately 6,000 students in public tertiary institutions through the centralized PUJAB system, where candidates apply online using the Academic Management Information System (ACMIS) through their UNEB UACE centres.
However, petitioners claim that officials in TVET O&M and HET have controversially shifted to a decentralized interview-based system that has left students stranded, confused and vulnerable to exploitation.
Former Kanungu District Woman MP Patience Kinshaba Nkunda, accused the departments of frustrating smooth admissions and creating uncertainty for students across the country. Nkunda argued that the decentralized system encourages regional discrimination, where some students with weaker grades from certain regions allegedly secure government sponsorships while better-performing candidates are left out.
She further noted that many students were never properly informed about the interviews and therefore failed to attend, automatically missing opportunities for government sponsorship.
“The decentralized system has increased corruption at institutional level since Academic Registrars are given authority of who to consider for government scholarships,” Nkunda complained in her petition.
She further warned that the controversial process risks making UNEB A’ Level results irrelevant without any legal basis.
“To my observation, a centralized and streamlined admission process has many benefits including avoiding duplication and multiple admissions, determining vacant places, coordinating supplementary admissions and improving quality of admitted students according to course requirements,” Nkunda stated.
She asked the Ministry to urgently investigate the basis upon which students are being interviewed for public tertiary institutions when government already established PUJAB as the official transparent system for accessing government sponsorships.
The admissions storm has attracted several other petitioners. Derick Otatina, petitioning on behalf of Uganda Institute of Information and Communications Technology-Nakawa, wrote to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit on May 5, 2026 demanding immediate investigations and cancellation of interview-based admissions for UACE students entering public tertiary institutions.
Another petitioner, Timothy Atwine from Kyambogo, first petitioned the Executive Director of the TVET Council seeking intervention to stop the interview-based admissions system. After reportedly receiving no response, Atwine escalated the matter on May 4, 2026 by petitioning Janet Museveni directly, demanding immediate cancellation of interviews for diploma direct-entry programmes targeting A’ Level candidates in health training institutions.
“Thousands of A’ Level candidates who applied through this single transparent PUJAB platform have already invested significant time, money and effort. Allowing this parallel and non-transparent process to continue will deepen public anxiety, erode confidence in the national admissions system and undermine government’s commitment to fairness and equity in education,” Atwine warned.
The controversy has also pulled in student leaders. Barekye Canary, President of Ankole Health Students Association Mulago (AHESAM), on May 7, 2026 petitioned the Ministry of Education demanding suspension of interview-based admissions into health training institutions for diploma courses under direct UACE entry.
The petitioners insist that unless government urgently intervenes, the admissions process risks turning into a full-blown corruption scandal capable of denying deserving students opportunities for higher education.
As pressure continues mounting, the Ministry of Education, TVET Council and other implicated offices had by press time remained silent over the allegations.
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