Female inmates from Luzira Women’s Prison have recorded notable success in the 2025 Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) examinations, delivering impressive results and expressing renewed hope for higher education opportunities.
The best-performing candidate was Ruth Namubiru, who scored 11 points after obtaining D grades in History, Entrepreneurship, and Christian Religious Education (CRE), along with subsidiary credits in General Paper and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Namubiru was closely followed by Abina Ajambo, who scored 10 points with a D in History, an O in Entrepreneurship, and a B in Luganda, in addition to subsidiary passes in General Paper and ICT.
Male inmates dominated the results at the inmates’ school at Luzira Upper Prison, where a total of 70 candidates were registered for the examinations.
Out of these, 31 candidates obtained three principal passes, 15 obtained two principal passes, 17 obtained one principal pass, while four candidates obtained subsidiary passes. Three candidates were absent because they were released from custody before the examinations.
The best-performing candidate at the school was Didas Mpagi, who scored 19 points after obtaining a B in History, an A in Christian Religious Education (CRE), and an A in Luganda, plus two subsidiary passes in General Paper and ICT.
Mpagi was followed by Eric Ricky Okot, who scored 18 points with an A in History, B in Entrepreneurship, and B in CRE, along with two subsidiary passes in General Paper and ICT.
The third-best candidate was Fred Kaggwa, who scored 17 points with a B in History, C in CRE, and an A in Luganda, plus two subsidiary passes.
Another strong performer was Ivan Ocii, who obtained 16 points with a B in History, B in Entrepreneurship, and C in Geography, together with two subsidiary passes in General Paper and ICT.
A similar trend was observed at Mbarara Main Prison, where a total of 13 candidates sat the 2025 UACE examinations.
The top performer there was Onesmus Owomugisha, who achieved 15 points with three principal passes. Other notable candidates included Gasasira Balikimungu, who scored 11 points, as well as Godfrey Mbahairwe and Boaz Ndyamuhaki, who each attained 10 points.
Overall performance statistics from the centre show that four candidates obtained three principal passes, three candidates obtained two principal passes, and five candidates obtained one principal pass.
The 2025 UACE results released by the Uganda National Examinations Board also revealed a broader national trend: female candidates outperformed their male counterparts in most subjects, despite being fewer in number.
Out of 165,172 candidates who sat the examinations, 72,374 were female and 92,798 were male.
However, performance indicators favored female candidates.
44.6 percent of females obtained three principal passes compared to 39.5 percent of males, while 28.2 percent of females achieved two principal passes compared to 25.8 percent of males.
Failure rates were also lower among females at 0.8 percent, compared to 1.4 percent among males.
Subject-level performance also reflected strong results by female candidates. In Literature in English, 10.8 percent of female candidates attained top grades compared to 8.7 percent of males.
In Mathematics, although 14.1 percent of male candidates attained the highest grades compared to 10.7 percent of females, girls recorded stronger overall pass rates.
Female candidates also performed strongly in General Paper, History, and Subsidiary ICT, demonstrating solid analytical, comprehension, and technical abilities.
Despite the improved academic performance among female candidates, participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects remains lower among girls.
Data from the Uganda National Examinations Board indicates that 25,001 female candidates sat Mathematics compared to 45,130 males, while female participation in Physics stood at approximately 4,688 candidates.
Education experts say the figures highlight the need for continued efforts to encourage girls’ participation in STEM fields even as overall academic performance improves.
“These results show that with the right support, inmates can achieve academically at the same level as their peers outside prison,” said one education officer involved in the programme.
Following the release of the results, many inmates expressed a strong desire to pursue tertiary education while serving their sentences.
Several candidates said they hope to study law in the future, inspired by former inmates who successfully completed law degrees while still incarcerated and later reintegrated into society.
The strong performance by prison candidates underscores the growing importance of education as a rehabilitation tool within Uganda’s correctional facilities.
