education 21 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Three Mitooma School Heads Detained Over Unregistered Candidate
Police in Mitooma District have arrested three secondary school administrators for allegedly failing to register a Senior Four student for the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations. The student claims he paid the required fees but was excluded from the final examination list. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/three-mitooma-school-heads-arrested-over-unregistered-uce-candidate-5639976
Authorities in Mitooma District have apprehended three secondary school administrators in connection with the failure to register a Senior Four student for the crucial Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations. The arrested individuals include Jason Ahereza, the headteacher of Nyakihiiliita Secondary School; Ambrose Centenary, the headteacher of Rwakitanda Secondary School; and Abias Mujuni, the deputy headteacher of Mayanga Seed Secondary School.
According to police reports, the student, Edson Twinomugisha, aged 19, alleges that he paid the requisite registration fees. He discovered the issue after being transferred between schools in the lead-up to the examinations. Twinomugisha stated that his original school, Nyakihiiliita Secondary School, lacked an examination center number, leading to the transfer of its 19 Senior Four candidates to Rwakitanda Secondary School. While 18 students were successfully registered there, Twinomugisha claims he was subsequently moved to Mayanga Seed Secondary School without parental consent.
Twinomugisha recounted that despite sitting mock examinations with a valid index number, he was transferred to Mayanga. There, he was reportedly told his previous marks were missing from the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) system and was advised to repeat Senior Three, with an offer of a full bursary for the following year. He alleges that school administrators attempted to keep him until after the compulsory exams were completed, intending to blame any resulting issues on the examination system.
In their defense, the headteachers offered differing accounts. Ahereza stated he had transferred all candidates and paid their fees to Rwakitanda, only learning of the registration issue later. Centenary cited network failures within the UNEB system and capacity limitations at his school, which only allowed for 70 students, while he had 72. Mujuni explained that Twinomugisha was brought to Mayanga for emergency admission but could not be registered as a Senior Four candidate due to the missing previous scores. Police investigations are ongoing to ascertain the full details of the matter.