By KT Reporter
Panic, tears, and anger swept through Cream Field Vocational Senior Secondary School in Nakifuma, Mukono District, after a shocking revelation that the school had failed to register its candidates for the 2025 Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examinations.
The heartbreaking discovery came just hours before the exams were due to start, leaving learners devastated and parents furious. The chaos first erupted at the school on Sunday evening as desperate students broke down, cried uncontrollably, and some even fainted upon learning that they would not be sitting for their final examinations, despite paying all the required fees months earlier.
Cream Field Vocational SS does not have its own UNEB examination centre, and candidates were supposed to sit for their exams at Nakifuma Modern Secondary School. However, none of the students had received index numbers since the second term, a red flag that was repeatedly brushed aside by the school administration.
Learners were instead reassured that they would receive their numbers during the official UNEB briefing session, which was scheduled for Friday.
But the briefing never happened. According to Rayan Kizito, one of the affected students, when candidates went to the designated examination centre to seek clarification, the headteacher initially told them the issue was being resolved. Moments later, they were hit with the devastating news that they had never been registered at all.
Another candidate, Vanessa Namubiru, said students spent the entire briefing day waiting in vain for teachers who never appeared. When they sought answers, they were told everything was under control.
A third student, Mark, identified the school directors as Muhammad Ssenfuka and Ramathan Muwonge, who have since gone into hiding.
Frustrated and heartbroken, students vowed to hunt down the administrators if they were not allowed to sit the exams, accusing them of destroying their futures.
Meanwhile, furious parents have stormed the school since last evening and again on Monday morning, demanding answers and accountability. Many expressed anguish over lost opportunities, wasted tuition, and the uncertainty of what comes next for their children.
Missed Red Flags Interviews with students revealed several warning signs that were overlooked for months. Some students said the school had failed to complete the syllabus, with the entire Senior Four class missing key subjects such as Physics. Others noted that from the second term, when registration is normally conducted, they had never received index numbers.
Despite parents paying all fees, communication from the administration remained vague, and promises of updates went unfulfilled. The absence of a UNEB briefing on Friday was the final sign that something had gone terribly wrong.
Parents later admitted that they had placed full trust in the school and only discovered the magnitude of the problem when their children were denied registration. The incident has exposed glaring administrative loopholes and underscored the need for tighter supervision of private schools by education authorities.
For years, some headteachers have been accused of misappropriating UNEB registration fees, a crime punishable under Section 32 of the UNEB Act, which states:
“A person authorised, or purporting to be authorised, by an examination centre to collect examination registration fees from students, who fails or neglects to remit the fees to the Examinations Board, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 40 million shillings, imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or both. The convicted person shall also repay the money collected and compensate the students or sponsors accordingly.”
UNEB spokesperson Jennifer Kalule said the board was only informed of the situation on Sunday evening, when it was already too late. She explained that the deadline for such complaints had closed on Saturday, meaning the affected students will now have to repeat Senior Four next year.
Kalule partly blamed parents and students for failing to verify registration early, despite UNEB’s continuous public awareness campaigns. She emphasised that schools are required to display lists of registered candidates for public viewing and that parents can also confirm registration via UNEB’s SMS service.
Speaking to URN, Kalule said the heartbreaking incident should serve as a wake-up call for parents and students to take a more active role in verifying registration.
She added that UNEB has opened investigations into the conduct of the school’s directors and administrators to ensure they are held fully accountable. “We shall not let this pass,” Kalule said. “No learner should ever lose their future because of dishonesty or negligence.”
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