Inside the Exam Malpractice Crisis: Here Is Why Kampala, Wakiso and Kisoro Emerged as Uganda’s Most Flagged Cheating Hotspots in the 2025 PLE Results

As celebrations erupted across the country following the release of the 2025 Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) results, a darker narrative quietly unfolded behind the scenes.

While more than 730,000 candidates successfully passed their final primary school examinations, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) revealed widespread examination malpractice that cast a shadow over the national achievement.

The controversy was most pronounced in Kampala, Wakiso and Kisoro districts, which UNEB identified as leading hotspots for cheating during the 2025 examination cycle.

Thousands of results from these and several other districts were withheld pending investigations, raising concern among parents, schools and education stakeholders.

Speaking at the official release of the results at State Lodge Nakasero, UNEB confirmed that 730,233 candidates had passed PLE 2025, marking an improvement from the previous year. 

Education and Sports Minister Janet Kataha Museveni presided over the event, commending overall performance while acknowledging the integrity challenges facing the examination system.

UNEB Executive Director Dan N. Odongo painted a troubling picture of how malpractice has evolved. 

He explained that cheating had shifted from isolated incidents to well-organised networks involving some school administrators, teachers and, in certain cases, district education officials. 

According to Odongo, there were reports of invigilators being bribed, intimidated and even threatened with physical harm to allow unauthorised teachers into examination rooms to assist candidates.

“These were not minor infractions,” Odongo noted, adding that the boldness of offenders had increased significantly, particularly in districts where competition for top grades is intense.

As a result, UNEB withheld results from candidates in Kampala, Wakiso, Kisoro, Mukono, Namutumba, Kassanda, Buyende and Kaliro. 

The affected candidates will appear before UNEB’s Security Committee, which will function as a tribunal to hear individual cases before deciding whether results should be released or cancelled.

Despite the malpractice concerns, national performance indicators showed notable progress. UNEB reported that 7,503 more candidates passed in 2025 compared to 2024. 

Division One results rose to 91,990 candidates, an increase of 7,689. Division Two remained the most common grade with 388,293 candidates, followed by Division Three at 165,226, while 84,724 candidates attained Division Four.

Gender analysis revealed an interesting trend. Although more girls passed the examinations overall, boys performed better proportionally at the top level. 

UNEB statistics showed that 12.54 percent of boys achieved Division One compared to 10.35 percent of girls, while failure rates were slightly higher among girls.

In total, 817,883 candidates from 15,388 examination centres sat for the 2025 PLE, representing a 2.6 percent increase in candidature. 

Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools accounted for nearly two-thirds of all candidates, underscoring the programme’s continued central role in Uganda’s education system.

While Kampala, Wakiso and Kisoro dominated the malpractice list, UNEB also highlighted positive developments elsewhere. 

Districts such as Kyenjojo, Kabarole and Bundibugyo were praised for significant improvements in examination integrity. 

Kyenjojo, in particular, recorded no malpractice cases after enforcing strict disciplinary measures following violations in the previous year.

UNEB emphasized that withheld results will remain frozen until investigations are concluded. Meanwhile, results for candidates not implicated in malpractice have already been uploaded to the UNEB centre portal, with hard copies expected to be collected by district inspectors in the coming days.