The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has deployed examination teams to 4,514 centres across the country to supervise the 2026 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations, which commenced today.
A total of 503,055 candidates are sitting the examinations this year, representing a 16.4 per cent increase from the 432,165 candidates registered in 2025.
Speaking during a joint press briefing at Police headquarters in Naguru, UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer Jennifer Kalule-Musamba said the first batch of examination papers had been delivered to all examination stations on time, despite flooding caused by heavy rains in some parts of the country.
She said preliminary reports indicated that the examinations had started smoothly across the country.
Of the candidates registered for the examinations, 264,722 are female and 238,333 are male. The total candidature includes 187,918 learners sponsored under the Universal Secondary Education (USE) programme.
Kalule-Musamba said UNEB had also put in place special arrangements to support 906 candidates with special educational needs. The measures include braille answer sheets, large-print examination papers, sign language interpreters and transcribers to ensure the candidates can participate in the examinations.
This year’s examinations mark the fourth cohort to sit the UCE under the Competency-Based Curriculum, which emphasizes the application of knowledge and skills.
Kalule-Musamba also cautioned school administrators against denying candidates access to examination rooms over outstanding school fees, warning that the practice could negatively affect learners’ performance.
She urged schools to allow all registered candidates to sit the examinations, regardless of their outstanding financial obligations.
By Our Reporter
12th Oct 2026
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