Police warn candidates against campaign rallies near UNEB centres

14 October 2025, 11:04 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

Uganda Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke, has cautioned presidential candidates currently on the campaign trail against holding rallies near examination centres.

While addressing the media yesterday at police headquarters in Kampala, ACP Rusoke said candidates should not organize political activities in or around areas where students are sitting for their final examinations.

“It should be remembered that during past elections, some presidential hopefuls held rallies close to UNEB centres, which disrupted learners and affected their concentration, leading to poor performance,” he noted.

Several headteachers have backed the police’s advisory, saying it is necessary to safeguard the rights of learners under Article 30 of the Constitution of Uganda, which guarantees the right to education.

The headteacher of Kyadondo Secondary School, Hajji Waligo Ismael, said learners deserve peace and privacy during this critical period. He also reported a smooth start to the examinations.

“We registered 453 candidates, and only two did not turn up. We thank God that the first day went on well. Students sat Geography Paper One in the morning and Biology Theory in the afternoon. We prepared them well, and we believe they will perform,” he said.

Waligo explained that the high number of candidates stems from automatic promotion during the COVID-19 period, which allowed even learners who had not fully qualified to advance to the next class.

Nakakawa Hananiyah, one of the students sitting her UCE exams, said the papers were manageable. “The exams were good because we were well prepared by our teachers. I believe we are going to pass,” she said.

Other students expressed optimism about the new lower secondary curriculum, describing it as practical and centered on real-life situations that promote creativity and critical thinking.

Today, candidates are sitting for Physics Theory in the morning session.

The examinations are taking place at a time when teachers in public schools are on strike over low pay. Despite government efforts to resolve the matter, talks have not yielded results.

Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo, said government is still looking for a lasting solution.

He, however, advised teachers who are dissatisfied with the profession to consider alternative careers. “We teachers are motivated by the progress of a learner. It is more fulfilling than the payment,” he said.

According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB), a total of 432,159 candidates registered for this year’s Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, which began on Monday. Of these, 52.7 percent are female and 47.3 percent male, sitting from 3,808 centres across the country. The examinations will run until November 15, 2025.