Police in the North Kyoga Region have arrested three suspects for allegedly attempting to bribe a Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) scout to influence the conduct of the forthcoming Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
The suspects have been identified as Odongo George, Director of Atura Community Day Primary School, Ekut Simon, 32, a former teacher at the same school and Awoko Lavoiser, 26, a teacher at St. Gracious Primary School in Barapwo, Lira City West Division.
According to police, the trio offered a bribe of one million shillings (UGX 1,000,000) to a UNEB scout assigned to supervise the PLE in Oyam District, in an attempt to compromise the integrity of the national examinations, which are scheduled to begin today.
Acting on a tip-off, police swiftly arrested the suspects at Garden Hotel in Lira City and recovered the money, which has been exhibited as evidence.
The suspects are currently in custody and will be arraigned in court. They face charges under Section 26 (1)(g) of the UNEB Act, CAP 259, which provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of twenty million shillings, or both, upon conviction.
UNEB Executive Director, Dan Odongo, has since warned the public and examination officials against engaging in malpractice.
“UNEB is working closely with police and other security agencies, who will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone attempting to compromise the credibility of national examinations, regardless of their status,” Odongo stated.
