The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has confirmed that a total of 503,055 candidates are registered to sit for this year’s Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations. This number comprises 264,722 female candidates and 238,333 male candidates. The figure represents a 16.4 percent increase from the 432,165 candidates who sat for the examinations last year.
The candidates include 187,918 government-sponsored students under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme and 154,642 privately sponsored candidates. These candidates are registered across 4,514 UNEB examination centres. According to UNEB, the examinations will be conducted under the theme: “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo warned candidates against examination malpractice and urged them to adhere to the rules and regulations governing the examinations. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the integrity of the examination process. Odongo also revealed that more than 500 examination centres did not register candidates for the final examinations this year.
The affected centres include 48 UCE centres, 71 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) centres, and 31 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) centres. Odongo stated that UNEB will investigate whether the affected schools had no candidates to register or whether the failure was due to negligence by head teachers. He noted that some schools only registered their candidates after parents demanded explanations.
In some cases, schools had failed to display the UNEB registers on their notice boards, leading to confusion among parents and candidates. This year’s UCE examinations are set to begin on Monday, October 12, and conclude on November 3, 2026. Senior Four candidates held their briefing sessions ahead of the examinations, preparing them for the upcoming tests.
According to UNEB, three schools only registered their candidates on the morning of the registration deadline after parents stormed the institutions demanding explanations. This highlights the challenges faced by some schools in preparing for the examinations. Despite these challenges, UNEB is proceeding with the examinations as scheduled.
The increase in the number of candidates this year is a positive trend, indicating growing participation in education. However, UNEB’s emphasis on preventing examination malpractice and ensuring adherence to regulations underscores the importance of maintaining the credibility of the examination process. The board is expected to closely monitor the examinations to ensure a smooth and fair process for all candidates.
Key points
- The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has confirmed 503,055 candidates for the 2026 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.
- The number of candidates represents a 16.4 percent increase from the 432,165 candidates who sat for the examinations last year.
- UNEB will investigate over 500 examination centres that did not register candidates for the final examinations this year.
