14 inmates sit PLE in Soroti, two pupils miss out

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Fourteen inmates from Soroti Main Prison are among the candidates sitting the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in Soroti district, where two pupils registered at Kichinjaji Primary School missed the examinations.

At Kichinjaji Primary School, 109 candidates were registered from five schools: St Paul Education Centre, Soroti Independent Baptist Primary School, St Martha Primary School, St Ann Primary School and Yusra Islamic Primary School, all using the school as their examination centre.

Candidates of Kichinjaji Primary School in Soroti City crossing over to do exams at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic church on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. (Photo by Delux Emmy Alomu)

Three female candidates at the centre are sitting the examinations while pregnant, while another gave birth about a month ago.

UNEB permits pregnant and nursing candidates to sit their final assessments, reflecting broader national measures aimed at preventing school dropouts due to early pregnancies.

Alfred Enyidu, the headteacher of Kichinjaji Primary School, confirmed that a boy and a girl were missing, adding that they had sent the deputy headteacher to look for them. According to Enyidu, four candidates were missing during the briefing, but two later turned up for the examinations.

Soroti City Inspector of Schools Simon Opolot said 3,440 candidates had registered to sit the PLE across the city.

Excited candidates of Kichinjaji Primary School in Soroti City crossing over to do exams at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Church on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. (Photo by Delux Emmy Alomu)

To help candidates maintain concentration and avoid health disruptions, the Kichinjaji Primary School administration, with the consent of parents, introduced a contribution of sh18,000 per candidate to provide school-prepared lunches during the two-day examination period.

Inmates join pupils at Soroti examination centre

Fourteen inmates from Soroti Main Prison are among 180 candidates at Soroti Demonstration Primary School examination centre.

The centre initially registered 181 candidates, comprising 151 pupils from Soroti Demonstration Primary School, 15 from Vision Primary School and 15 inmates from Soroti Main Prison.

However, one of the registered inmates will not sit the examinations after being transferred to Jinja Main Prison for medical attention.

The examinations are scheduled to run over two days, with Mathematics, Social Studies and Religious Education on Tuesday, followed by Science and English on Wednesday, November 4.

This year's PLE has 920,833 registered candidates, representing a 12.5% increase from the 817,885 candidates who registered in 2025. The candidates will sit their papers at 16,478 examination centres across the country.

Kichinjaji Primary School candidates in Soroti City being checked before entering for their PLE on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. (Photo by Delux Emmy Alomu)

Of the registered candidates, 484,620 are female (52.7%), while 436,213 are male (47.3%). Candidates registered under the Universal Primary Education programme account for 576,342 (62.5%), while 344,491 (37.5%) are from private schools.

The board said it had made arrangements for 4,655 candidates with special needs, including 2,303 girls. They will receive support through provisions such as Braille and large-print question papers, sign-language interpretation and transcribers.

Candidates with special needs will also receive an additional 45 minutes for each paper. UNEB has deployed 1,544 personnel to support them during the examinations.

To strengthen supervision, the board has deployed 162 district monitors and 13,738 scouts, alongside security personnel, to oversee the examination process.