The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) security team, working with police in Lira, has arrested a city inspector of schools and an alleged accomplice over accusations of extorting money from primary school headteachers.
According to Jennifer Kalule-Musamba, the UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer, the suspects allegedly solicited money from about 10 schools whose administrators had registered private candidates but declared them as learners under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme.
The alleged scheme involved collecting money from parents who believed they were paying for private candidate registration, yet the learners had been registered under the government-funded UPE programme, potentially defrauding both the parents and the government.
The suspects have been identified as Lira City Inspector of Schools Omara Tom Ronald and Ambrose Okwot, who falsely presented himself as UNEB’s head of legal affairs.
Kalule-Musamba said the arrests followed a whistleblower’s tip-off to UNEB, prompting the board’s security team to work with police in Lira to apprehend the suspects.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, and the suspects are expected to appear in court to answer to the allegations.
In a related case, Omara is also accused of extorting money from Lango College Secondary School after allegedly claiming to represent the Inspectorate of Government (IG).
He reportedly used his position as city inspector of schools to solicit money from school administrators over allegedly inflated enrolment figures and candidate numbers.
CUE IN MUSAMBA… ON SUSPECTS… LUG/ENG//
Meanwhile, UNEB has urged schools that registered private candidates as UPE learners to voluntarily declare the affected candidates to enable the board to regularise their records.
Kalule-Musamba said additional schools had come forward to make declarations following a similar case in Kalungu District, where some learners registered as private candidates had been recorded under the government-funded UPE programme.
She warned that the practice amounts to defrauding the government and could attract criminal charges.
Meanwhile, a candidate at Light Senior Secondary School in Soroti District delivered a baby boy while sitting her Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) English paper on Tuesday morning but later managed to complete both examinations scheduled for the day.
Kalule-Musamba said the candidate delivered safely with the assistance of the school nurse and health workers from a nearby health centre.
Despite the unexpected development, the candidate completed her morning English paper before proceeding to sit her afternoon examination.
She said the mother and her newborn were reported to be in good condition and were receiving medical monitoring and follow-up from health workers.
Kalule-Musamba added that the candidate was expected to continue with her remaining examinations, subject to her medical condition and the advice of health workers.
CUE IN MUSAMBA… ON CANDIDATE… LUG/ENG//
