Written By | BK Mugizi
Centenary Ambrose Headteacher Rwakitanda SS
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MITOOMA
Three secondary school administrators have been arrested in Mitooma District over the alleged failure to register a Senior Four candidate for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, leaving the 19-year-old stranded as his classmates sat their papers.
The arrests follow a complaint by the candidate, Edson Twinomugisha, who alleges that he paid all the required registration fees but was not registered on the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examination portal.
The suspects are Jason Ahereza, the headteacher of Nyakihiita Secondary School; Ambrose Centenary, the headteacher of Rwakitanda Secondary School; and Abias Mujuni, the deputy headteacher of Mayanga Seed Secondary School.
Mitooma District Police Commander Michael Bagoole said the suspects were in custody to assist with investigations. “We have put them in our custody so that investigations can move on smoothly,” Bagoole said.
He added that the arrests would not disrupt the ongoing national examinations, as other staff members could be assigned to perform the administrators’ duties.
“We have also informed the District Education Officer and the Inspector of Schools to delegate stakeholders to ensure that other students in the affected schools do not miss their exams,” Bagoole said.
Jason Ahereza Headteacher Nyakihita SS
Candidate narrates ordeal
Twinomugisha said his troubles began when Nyakihiita Secondary School, where he had been studying, failed to register him directly because it did not have a UNEB examination centre number.
He said he and 18 other students were transferred to Rwakitanda Secondary School for registration.
Twinomugisha said he sat his mock examinations and received results under what he believed was a valid examination index number.
However, he said he became suspicious shortly before the final examinations began when he was allegedly taken to another school instead of receiving his Senior Four candidate identification documents.
“On Sunday, after the briefing, the headteacher of Rwakitanda transported me to Mayanga Seed School without the knowledge of my parents or my headteacher,” Twinomugisha said.
He said that upon arriving at Mayanga, he found the administrators engaged in a discussion before they allegedly informed him that his previous examination marks were missing from the UNEB system.
According to Twinomugisha, the administrators then proposed that he repeat Senior Three, offering him a full bursary and scholastic materials for the following academic year.
“Instead of a Senior Four ID, they brought a meal card. That’s when I decided to escape and run to tell my parents,” he said.
Twinomugisha suspects the arrangement was intended to keep him at school until the compulsory examination papers had been completed, after which he would be sent home.
“I think it was their trick to keep me in school until the compulsory subjects were done, then permit me to go home so that next year they could claim my results just didn’t come,” he said.
Mujuni Abias, Deputy Headteacher Mayanga Seed school
Headteachers give conflicting accounts
The three administrators gave different explanations for how Twinomugisha ended up missing registration for the examinations.
Ahereza said he had transferred all 19 students to Rwakitanda Secondary School and cleared their registration dues.
He said he only learnt about the problem after receiving a telephone call from a concerned parent.
“Everything was sorted, and the other 18 students are at Rwakitanda doing exams. I don’t know what happened after,” Ahereza said.
He added that he handed himself over to the police after learning about the alleged irregularities.
Centenary admitted that Twinomugisha had not been registered but attributed the failure to challenges with the UNEB registration system and the school’s examination centre capacity.
“My UNEB sitting capacity only accepts 70 students, and I had 72. I had to transfer two students. Due to the UNEB network, we kept trying until things refused,” Centenary said.
He denied having malicious intentions, saying he had offered to support the candidate’s education the following year.
“As a parent, I decided to take him on as my son so that I can pay all his school requirements next year,” he said.
Mujuni said Twinomugisha had been brought to Mayanga for emergency admission but could not be admitted to Senior Four because his previous examination scores were missing from the system.
“I told the headteacher of Rwakitanda that he can only be admitted in Senior Three. He is now my Senior Three student on a full bursary paid by the Rwakitanda headteacher. He already has his meal card as we process his student ID,” Mujuni said.
UNEB has repeatedly warned school administrators to register all eligible candidates within the stipulated period, with the deadline for late registration set for July 31, 2026.
The examinations body also requires schools to display registers of registered candidates at least 60 days before the examinations and urges candidates and parents to verify registration details. Parents can check candidates’ registration status by sending the examination code and index number to 6600.
UNEB has cautioned that failure to register candidates could jeopardise their education and progression to the next academic level.
Bagoole said the suspects would be arraigned in court once investigations had been completed.
