UNEB website inaccessible as aspirants rush to verify documents

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda National Examinations Board – UNEB website www.eservices.uneb.ac.ug is inaccessible at a time when prospective aspirants for different political positions in the coming general election are rushing to verify their academic documents.

On June 18, UNEB declared that set deadlines for the process giving aspiring candidates for local government elections up to July 2 to submit their applications while August 4 was set for parliamentary aspirants and August 24 for presidential aspirants.

Andrew Kabulasoke, aspirant for mayor position in one of the two-divisions that makes up the newly created Masaka city says he has been opening the UNEB website almost daily but he is yet to get access to it.

He shares that at first, he thought that his computer had a problem until when he got a similar concern from another person.

“The deadline is soon clocking and there are many aspirants who want these services. UNEB should work on the problem or put alternatives of receiving hard copies,” Kabulasoke complained.

Joseph Daka Ajuna who is aspiring for a parliamentary seat in Fort Portal has also gone through similar frustrations. Ajuna notes that he wants to have his papers verified first so that he prepares for his party internal process which might as well require him to present the same document.

Normally, the process has been conducted manually as aspirants take hard copies to UNEB for verification. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UNEB decided to handle the process electronically through its website.

Jennifer Kalule Musumba, UNEB’s principal public relations officer notes that they have registered a similar complaint from several people across the country and they have since asked their technicians to look into the matter to establish why their website is inaccessible so that it is fixed quickly.

“It is true that the website seems to be unstable. I have also received similar complaints. But let them keep trying, we have already notified our ICT guys (technicians) and we hope that this will be worked on,” Musumba told Uganda Radio Network.

Electoral laws require that all prospective aspirants for positions of President, Member of Parliament, or district chairpersons must have a minimum formal education of A’ level standards by UNEB or its equivalent. Letters of verification of results are one of the basic requirements an aspirant presents to the commission two months before nominations.

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