The police in kyotera district have apprehended Atanansi Mutesasira, the head teacher of St. Henry’s Lutti Primary School, on allegations of orchestrating an impersonation scheme during the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). Initial police investigations reveal that Mutesasira engaged five impersonators, leading to their discovery by an invigilator at the Kyapagi Primary School examination center in Kasaali Town Council.
Hassan Musoba, the Kyotera District Police Commander, confirmed Mutesasira’s arrest, stating that charges will be filed against him and the impersonators once the police inquiry is complete. The suspect reportedly recruited learners from an unregistered secondary school for the PLE, and discrepancies in their index numbers raised suspicions.
The impersonators, aged between 14 to 15 years, carried identity cards with names and photographs matching genuine candidates who had registered for the exams. An invigilator from the Uganda Examinations Board (Uneb) observed the hired candidates panicking during the Mathematics paper, prompting the supervisor to alert the police. Subsequently, the head teacher and impersonators were arrested.
While the hired candidates were allowed to complete their final papers, the invigilator noted sufficient evidence to prosecute them, with their results facing nullification. Uneb guidelines, however, mandate Uneb security to substantiate claims of impersonation, preventing lower-level officers from disqualifying individuals suspected of malpractice.
Mathias Kigoye, the Kyotera District inspector of schools, reported that the impersonators entered the examination room without wearing the school uniform, a deviation from the norm during national exams. Both the head teacher and the impersonators admitted to their involvement in malpractice and impersonation. This incident echoes a similar occurrence last year, where PLE results for 190 candidates from three schools in Kyotera District were withheld due to alleged malpractice, impacting Kibumba Primary School, Nabbunga Fountain of Education Primary School, and Solution Primary School.
