UNEB confirms readiness for PLE as NIRA dispatches over 5 million IDs

27 October 2025, 4:43 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule Musamba, has confirmed that the board is ready to conduct the 2025 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Addressing the media during a joint press briefing at Uganda Police Headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, Musamba said 150 district monitors were briefed over the weekend and will this week hold district-based briefings with examination personnel.

She announced that the PLE will begin on Monday, November 3, with Mathematics in the morning session.

“Today marks the beginning of the third week in the conduct of UCE examinations. The first two weeks ended without incidents, and we applaud our field supervisors. One candidate from Millennium High School in Koboko gave birth on October 17 during the Chemistry Paper II exam and later sat for the alternative paper. Seventeen candidates are reported to be pregnant, and those with complications are supported and given an extra 45 minutes, like other special needs candidates,” Musamba said.

A total of 817,930 candidates are registered for PLE this year, 389,557 (47.7%) males and 428,373 (52.3%) females. She added that UNEB has engaged 220 district, municipal, and city inspectors of schools to review past examinations and agree on improved supervision methods. Head teachers will brief candidates on Friday, October 31, and parents have been encouraged to attend.

Musamba cautioned the public against fraudsters claiming to have access to UNEB papers through WhatsApp groups, warning that surveillance teams are monitoring such activities. She urged the public to avoid joining such groups.

Meanwhile, the Registrar of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), Claire Ollama, announced that over five million national IDs have been dispatched to various districts including Adjumani, Amudat, and Lwengo. She advised applicants to collect their IDs from NIRA offices and discouraged the use of middlemen.

Ollama said the new IDs have enhanced security features that make them difficult to forge. “If your ID is not yet ready, be patient. You will get it once processing is complete,” she assured.