EXAM FEVER! UNEB Registers Record 1.63m Candidates as Numbers Soar 14.9%

By Evans Najuna

KAMPALA — The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has sounded the alarm over the 2026 examination season after registering a record 1,627,885 candidates for the Primary Leaving Examination (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).

The figure represents a 14.9% increase from the 1,416,448 candidates registered last year, putting schools, parents and examination officials on high alert ahead of the national examinations.

UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo released the 2026 examination timetable on Wednesday at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, warning candidates, parents and schools against examination malpractice, fake papers and registration fraud.

The examination season will kick off on October 8 with briefing of UCE candidates, while PLE candidates will be briefed on October 30.

UACE briefing will take place in November.

UACE NUMBERS SOAR

The biggest increase has been recorded at UACE level, where candidature has jumped by 22.5%, from 166,400 candidates last year to 203,875 in 2026.

UCE candidature has risen by 16.4% to 503,214, while PLE candidates have increased by 12.4% to 920,796.

Odongo said 52% of the candidates are female, while males account for 48%.

He added that 52% of the candidates are sponsored under Government Universal Education programmes, while UNEB has registered 6,090 Special Needs Education (SNE) candidates.

FAKE PAPERS ALERT

With the examinations approaching, Odongo warned candidates, parents and teachers to be wary of scammers who may circulate fake examination papers in a bid to defraud the public.

He also cautioned head teachers against falsely declaring candidates as SNE learners in order to secure extra time or other special examination arrangements.

Meanwhile, UNEB has set September 30 as the deadline for schools to submit Continuous Assessment (CA) scores for Senior Four candidates.

The Board said CA will contribute 20% to the final UCE result, while the end-of-cycle examination will account for 80%, alongside the project score.

UPE SCHOOLS ON SPOT

UNEB also raised concern over some UPE schools accused of registering private PLE candidates as Government-sponsored learners.

According to Odongo, some schools allegedly collect money from parents but fail to remit the required fees.

He described the practice as corruption and warned that those found involved would face action.

Odongo urged parents and candidates to check their registration details displayed on school noticeboards before the October 7 deadline to ensure that their information is correct.

This year’s examinations will be conducted under the theme: “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”