How candidate connived with headmistress to hire mercenary to sit UCE exams on her behalf for shs2.5m

Exam body, UNEB has unearthed yet another form of exam malpractice where a woman connived with the headmistress and paid shs2.5 million to a mercenary to sit for the ongoing Uganda Certificate of Education(UCE) exams on her behalf.

Rebecca Munyesi, a senior four candidate connived with Milly Nanteza Matovu, the headmistress of St Francis Secondary School in Kawempe to procure the services of Asuman Kidawuli to write UCE exams on her behalf.

“As our invigilator was walking through, he found one candidate Kidawuli had not written his name on the script. She became suspicious but later found another candidate, Rebecca Munyesi had written the name of Kidawuli,” Ann Kemali, the UNEB senior legal officer said.

She explained that when the invigilator returned to Kidawuli and asked him to write his name, her suspicion of exam malpractice was proved right after the would name was similar to one earlier seen on the script by a female candidate(Munyesi).

“Kidawuli scribbled quickly his name on the script. It turned one that Kidawuli and Munyesi had a mission. Kidawuli was intending to write exams for Munyesi. Rebecca on the other side had written Kidawuli’s name.”

According to UNEB, after finding out that they had been detected, Kidawuli took to his heels to leave Munyesi who was later handed over to police to make a statement.

Beans spilt

At police is where beans were spilt when Munyesi told detective that she had procured services of Kidawuli to help her write the exams.

“The plot was that she was to write Kidawuli’s name and he writes her(Munyesi) name . He was not interested in the results and any work appearing in his name was not relevant to him.  It was Munyesi who was interested in seeing Kidawuli write for her exams .Results would come out in Rebecca’s name,”Kemali said.

To clearly orchestrate the plot, Munyesi who had earlier in 2013 sat her UCE exams and her name was already in the UNEB system was however registered by the headmistress as a first time candidate.

It is also alleged that shs2.5 million was paid for all this process to be done.

Charged

On Friday, Munyesi was charged with impersonation whereas the headmistress, Nanteza was slapped with charges related to aiding and abetting impersonation as well as giving false information ton UNEB when she registered Munyesi as a first time candidate whereas not.

When arraigned before the Nabweru grade one magistrate, Christian Kibuuka, the 30 year old Munyesi pleaded guilty and asked for pardon.

She was consequently convicted on her own plea and awaits sentencing set for Monday, November, 1.

On the other hand, the headmistress, Nanteza denied the charges and remanded until November, 1 for hearing of the case to begin.

According to the UNEB Act 2021 that came into force this year, whereas impersonation attracts a fine of shs20 million or five year jail term or both, it is the same punishment for anyone who aids and abets impersonation.

On the other hand, the punishment is shs10 million or two year imprisonment of both for giving false information to UNEB.

According to the UNEB spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule, the school headmistress is liable for the offence of aiding and abetting impersonation for her role in registering Munyesi as a first time candidate but also registering Kidawuli who was not a student at the school.

“It is a relationship built between the headmistress and the student. They have all knowledge and have accurate information about all this. It is the headmistress to register these students and collect data about them. Whatever information availed to board is known by the headmistress.”

She noted that UNEB will continue cracking down on exam malpractice now that they have a stringent law.

Another case

The development comes on the backdrop of an almost similar case unearthed by UNEB in which an aunt hired a S.3 student to sit for UCE exams for her niece.

 

https://nilepost.co.ug/2022/10/21/how-woman-hired-s-3-student-to-sit-uce-exams-for-her-niece-fined-shs4-8m/