KAMPALA – Eight individuals from Mengo’s Mwanga II Court have been convicted and sentenced over their role in the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) leakage scandal that rocked several districts across the country. The group pleaded guilty to charges of examination malpractice and leaking Primary Seven examination papers to candidates.
They were part of a larger group of 29 suspects, including teachers, head teachers, a school proprietor, and a District Inspector of Schools, who were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Mengo on allegations of aiding and abetting examination malpractice.
Those who admitted the offences include Okello Brian, Gira Daniel, Muhwezi Godfrey, Kabaale Ibrahim, Pule Calvin, and Kyabalema Swidick. They confessed to conspiring to steal confidential PLE examination papers and distributing them across Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Luweero, Kassanda, Mityana, and Masaka districts.
The prosecution told court that the suspects connived to obtain the sealed exam papers before the official examination time. They allegedly cut open the packages, photographed the contents, and circulated the leaked papers—covering all Primary Seven subjects—through WhatsApp and Telegram groups created specifically for the scheme.
Grade One Magistrate Adam Byamukama sentenced each of the eight convicts to two years in Luzira Prison or a fine of three million shillings. He noted that they were given a relatively lenient sentence because they did not waste the court’s time and admitted their involvement in the malpractice.
The remaining 21 suspects, among them the Kassanda District Education Officer, the proprietor of Nkoba Primary School, five head teachers, twenty-three classroom teachers, and the District Inspector of Schools, denied the charges. Their lawyers applied for bail, presenting sureties in court, but the state prosecutor requested additional time to verify their documents.
As a result, Magistrate Byamukama remanded them to Luzira Prison until December 10th, when their case will return for mention.
UNEB Senior Legal Officer Annet Kemaali expressed disappointment that even district education officials—who are mandated to safeguard the sanctity of examinations—were involved in the scandal. She emphasized that their actions violated Section 36 of the UNEB Act, CAP 259, which criminalizes aiding or inciting examination malpractice.
UNEB’s Principal Public Relations Officer, Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, reiterated the Board’s commitment to working closely with law enforcement agencies to preserve the integrity of national examinations.
“UNEB will continue to ensure that all individuals who compromise the examination process are held to account,” she said.
(pml daily)