Tears, anger, and uncertainty have engulfed families in Mbale City after more than 200 Primary Seven candidates were told they must repeat the class following the nullification of their 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) results.
For many pupils, it was supposed to mark the long-awaited transition to secondary school — a reward after years of hard work. Instead, it has become a painful return to the classroom they believed they had left behind.
The affected candidates, mainly from St Joseph Primary School Musoto and Bumuluya Primary School, had their results cancelled by the Uganda National Examinations Board following investigations into alleged examination malpractice.
According to city authorities, the pupils had earlier been summoned and interrogated by UNEB’s examination security committee.
Jolly Hasoho, Mbale Deputy Town Clerk, delivered the verdict to parents and pupils — a moment that quickly turned emotional.
“We appeared before the UNEB examination security committee which interrogated the pupils and council officials,” she said.
“The committee established that there was external assistance in the Science subject, where several pupils crossed correct answers and replaced them with identical wrong ones. As a result, the results were cancelled and the pupils will have to repeat Primary Seven next year.”
Francis Koko, the City Inspector of Schools, explained that at St Joseph Primary School Musoto, 159 pupils wrote identical wrong answers in Science, with 94 candidates reportedly cancelling correct responses and replacing them with the same incorrect answers.
At Bumuluya Primary School, candidates were also found to have written identical answers, including similar wrong formulas, in the Mathematics examination.
For the pupils, the announcement was devastating. For many parents, the financial burden has also been severe, as families that had prepared for secondary school must now meet the unexpected cost of another year in primary education.
As the news spread, emotions boiled over. Parents and pupils at the affected schools reacted angrily, accusing authorities of failing to safeguard the integrity of the examination process. Some reportedly locked school gates and threatened officials.
Mukwana Rogers, a parent, expressed frustration at the outcome.
“It is painful that a child attends lessons until 10pm from Sunday to Sunday, only to hear that results are cancelled. We have paid a lot of money to the school — almost like a private school, yet it is a government school,” he said, adding that they paid for weekend remedial lessons.
Another parent echoed similar concerns, saying she had provided “money upon money” throughout her child’s education journey.
It is suspected that an invigilator may have played a role in the malpractice, possibly linked to internal leadership wrangles at the school, although investigations are ongoing.
Koko acknowledged the seriousness of the matter, noting that disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible.
Meanwhile, police, led by Rogers Taitika, have intervened to calm tensions and urged parents to remain peaceful as inquiries continue.
Beyond the official explanations, the impact is being deeply felt in homes across Mbale City. Pupils who once looked forward to joining secondary school now face the stigma of repeating a class, while parents grapple with disappointment, financial strain, and unanswered questions.
