Ghost enrolment claims trigger UPE funding probe in Buyende
Kalikwani said current enrolment figures in some schools do not match the actual number of learners attending classes and revealed plans to engage external auditors to establish the extent of the discrepancies.
Speaking during a heated parents' meeting at Ndalike Primary School in Ngandho subcounty, Kalikwani said several schools had already been affected by the alleged fraud. (Credit: Tom Gwebayanga)
BUYENDE - Authorities in Buyende district have launched investigations into alleged inflation of pupil enrolment figures in Universal Primary Education (UPE) schools, amid claims that some head teachers are registering ghost pupils to fraudulently access larger government grants.
The investigations were announced on July 3, 2026, by the resident district commissioner (RDC), Paul Mwidu Kalikwani, who said security agencies are probing a racket allegedly involving head teachers and "possible" officials in the district education department.
Speaking during a heated parents' meeting at Ndalike Primary School in Ngandho subcounty, Kalikwani said several schools had already been affected by the alleged fraud.
“Head teachers, school management committees (SMC) and the district education office should be held accountable,” Kalikwani said without specifying the culprits.
He said current enrolment figures in some schools do not match the actual number of learners attending classes and revealed plans to engage external auditors to establish the extent of the discrepancies.
The concerns emerged after the new head teacher of Wandago Primary School, Frank Ronald Mande, discovered inconsistencies between the school's official records and the actual number of pupils after assuming office.
According to Mande, school records indicate an enrolment of 1,236 pupils, yet only 635 learners are currently attending classes.
He added that since taking over the school, he has been denied access to the UPE account because his predecessor remains the account signatory.
“To run the school having been denied access to the accounts, I resorted to borrowing or use personal savings,” Mande said, adding that the school management committee chairperson, Yoweri Ibanda, instructed him to pay his predecessor sh4m.
Mande also said district education officer Dison Bwire informed him that UPE grants for the previous two terms had already been released, but that he was prevented from accessing the funds.
He further alleged that his predecessor could have registered pupils from neighbouring private schools and possibly colluded with officials in the education department to inflate enrolment figures.
Ibanda, the school management committee chairperson, confirmed the discrepancies.
“The highest enrolment we have had since 2025 was 750. We have never had over 1,200 pupils,” he noted.
Kalikwani directed that school finances should be managed by serving head teachers and not their predecessors.
"Stop treating institutional money as personal. To ensure accountability, Not the predecessor, but the incoming head teacher is the one to handle finances," Kalikwani said.
He added that the alleged ghost pupil scheme appeared to extend beyond a single school and required urgent intervention.
For years, Uganda's education sector has grappled with the problem of ghost pupils, whose inflated enrolment figures result in the misallocation of government funds.
According to the Ministry of Finance, ghost pupils cost taxpayers about US$11 million (approximately sh40b) annually.
In 2022, the Ministry of Education introduced the Education Management Information System (EMIS) to improve learner registration, enhance planning and curb the problem of ghost pupils.
However, Kalikwani said the latest allegations suggest weaknesses still exist in the system.