KAMPALA – The Ministry of Education and Sports has warned school administrators against barring Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB)-registered candidates with outstanding school fees from sitting their final examinations.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The stern warning was contained in a ministerial directive issued on 13th October 2026 and signed by the Ministry of Education and Sports Spokesperson, Dr. Dennis K. Mugimba, on behalf of the Acting Minister of Education and Sports.
According to the statement, officials confirmed that they had received information that some schools were denying candidates a chance to sit their end-of-cycle exams over unpaid fees.
Dr. Mugimba noted that the Minister, invoking powers under the Education Act, 2008, had directed that all UNEB-registered candidates must be allowed to sit their end-of-cycle exams regardless of outstanding school fees.
He added that headteachers would have to inform UNEB about candidates who sat exams with unpaid fees so that their results could be withheld until the debts are cleared. Once the debts are cleared, the body will be notified to release the results at no penalty or extra fee.
“Using his powers under the Education Act, 2008, the Minister has ordered that all UNEB-registered candidates must sit exams even if they have fee balances. Headteachers should inform UNEB to withhold their results and later authorize release after payment, with no extra charge,” Dr. Mugimba said.
According to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) 2026 national examinations timetable, the UCE exams were the first to start, with briefing on 8th October, and the body will conduct the exams until the last UACE paper on 5th December 2026.
The Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) candidates will be briefed on 30th October before sitting their papers on 3rd and 4th November, while UCE exams run from 8th October to 3rd November.
Both sets of exams are being sat by a total of 1,627,885 candidates registered for the 2026 cycle, a 14.9% increase from 2025, with 52% female and 48% male.
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