UNEB EXAMS: Old Kampala SS Headmaster arrested

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Williams Suuna, the head teacher of Old Kampala Secondary School spent Tuesday night in police custody following his arrest for alleged involvement in examination malpractice.  According to information from police sources, Suuna was apprehended alongside Luyima Gilbert, a teacher at Bank Hill College, Zana, and Zuria Kunia Kareem, the Headteacher of Nakaseke Seed School.

The trio was allegedly found in possession of what appears to be a Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examination paper. They were subsequently detained at Old Kampala Police Station. “The individuals were apprehended within the confines of the headmaster’s office at Old Kampala Secondary School. It appears that they unlawfully possessed history papers one and four and geography papers two. They were in a bag,” the police source told our reporter.

According to the UNEB timetable, candidates are writing the history papers today. Meaning that the suspects might have accessed the papers hours before it was administered.

Luke Owesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson confirmed the arrest without delving into specific details and directed our reporter to UNEB for more information but asked for time to gather more information.

The UNEB spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule confirmed the arrest.  “Chris, (referring to our reporter) I’m aware of the situation, and I’ll gather more information. At the moment, I’m on my way to a meeting,” Kalule stated during a telephone interview with our reporter. Established in 1932, Old Kampala SS was founded by Asian teachers, K.D Gupta and B.D Gupta, from Bengal, India, an ancient seat of learning.

Its establishment coincided with the needs of the local community, and K.D Gupta became its first headmaster. The school has nurtured, among other prominent individuals including Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Uganda’s former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya, Pastor Robert Kayanja, Gen (Rtd) David Tinyefuza, Moses Kigongo, and businessman Sudhir Ruparelia.

Over the years, the school, with its rich history and cultural background, has become one of the leading centers of learning in East Africa. It excelled not only in academics but also in other disciplines such as Fine Arts and sports. However, recent years have seen a decline in the school’s overall performance, both in academics and extracurricular activities. Internal management disputes have strained relations between former students, current teachers, the school’s management board, and administrators.

This deterioration in the school’s quality has not only impacted academic performance but has also raised concerns about student discipline. Recently, a group of students from the school was apprehended by the police for engaging in a recreational substance-related incident in Nansana. Since the commencement of this year’s UCE examinations, UNEB, in collaboration with the police, has apprehended numerous individuals, primarily head teachers, teachers, and invigilators, on allegations of engaging in malpractice.

Many of those taken into custody have been caught in possession of materials purported to be UNEB examination papers. Notably, the recently revised UNEB Act has significantly heightened the penalties for malpractice offenses. Upon conviction, culprits now face the possibility of imprisonment ranging from 5 to 10 years or hefty fines of up to 20 million Shillings.

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