Police in Mubende District have arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly impersonating another candidate during the ongoing Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.
The suspect, identified as Leonard Elungat, a former student of Mubende Army Senior Secondary School, was reportedly caught sitting for the Agriculture Paper One exam on Tuesday this week under a different student’s index number.
According to the Wamala Region Police spokesperson, Racheal Kawala, Elungat had been suspended from the school last year while in Senior Three. Investigations indicate that he was writing the exam on behalf of Justus Atuhaire, a registered candidate who had not enrolled for Agriculture and was absent at the time of the paper.
Kawala revealed that Elungat had already written seven papers using Atuhaire’s index number before being discovered. The school’s headteacher is said to have caught him in the act and referred him to the deputy headteacher for questioning, but Elungat reportedly escaped during the interrogation.
He was later tracked down and arrested on Wednesday, October 29, in Mubende Town. Police confirmed that he is currently being held at Mubende Central Police Station and will be charged with impersonation and forgery once investigations conclude.
The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has repeatedly warned candidates and schools against examination malpractice, stressing that offenders face prosecution under the UNEB Act, 2021, which carries penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment or fines for those found guilty.
