The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has cautioned political aspirants and their supporters against conducting campaign rallies in school playgrounds as the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations officially commence.
The caution was issued in a statement released on Friday as the board announced the start of the exams.
UNEB Executive Director, Dan Odong, said political activities near examination centres pose a serious risk to the concentration and safety of candidates.
“We call upon political aspirants to avoid carrying out political rallies from school playgrounds so as not to destabilize candidates writing their examinations,” Odong stated.
Odong also cautioned all individuals contracted to oversee the examinations to refrain from engaging in political campaigns during this period, emphasizing that their full attention should be on ensuring the integrity and smooth conduct of the exams.
“We caution all those contracted to participate in the conduct of the examinations to desist from active involvement in political campaigns,” he added.
This year’s exams began with the nationwide briefing of candidates on Friday October 10th under the theme “Embracing security and holistic assessment of learners in a dynamic environment.”
A total of 432,159 candidates from 4,308 centres are expected to sit, representing a 12.1% increase from last year’s 379,748 candidates.
Of these, 52.7% are female, while 47.3% are male. At least 154,637 candidates are under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) program, while the rest are privately sponsored.
Odong emphasized that UNEB has partnered with security agencies to ensure the smooth conduct of exams and issued a stern warning against any form of malpractice or obstruction of the examination process.
“Examination security remains a major concern if we are to uphold the sanctity of our national exams. We shall not hesitate to take action against anyone—whether a teacher, political mobiliser, or community member—who interferes with the exams or aids malpractice,” he warned.
UNEB reaffirmed its position under the UNEB Act, CAP 259, stating that anyone found tampering with exam materials or disrupting exam centres faces up to 10 years in prison or a fine of 2,000 currency points—or both.
Odong also appealed to teachers currently threatening industrial action to separate examination supervision from labor disputes, noting that their role in national assessment is critical.
Despite the rising political temperature ahead of the 2026 general elections, UNEB insists exams must proceed without political interference, noise, or public gatherings near schools.
“The purpose of the examination is not to fail learners but to guide them on their career paths. Let them sit in peace. There will be plenty of time for politics, but for now, we ask for discipline and respect for the candidates,” Odong added.
As exams commence, UNEB has activated its toll-free line 0800-211-077 to report malpractice, promising to protect whistleblowers under its policy.
