Court orders UNEB to release MP aspirant’s academic records

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The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court has ordered the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) to release examination scripts belonging to an NRM-leaning parliamentary aspirant, ruling that the refusal to do so was unlawful.

In a ruling delivered on January 9, 2026, Principal Magistrate Grade I Akello Irene held that UNEB acted illegally when it declined to disclose the academic documents of Lanyero Christine Awany.

Magistrate Akello ruled that the public’s right to scrutinise the academic qualifications of individuals seeking elective office outweighs claims of personal privacy, particularly where such qualifications are a legal requirement for candidature.

Nwoya election dispute

The case arose from a dispute over the Nwoya district woman MP seat.

Vicky Tina Laker, a rival aspirant, challenged the academic credentials of Lanyero Christine Awany and sought verification of whether she sat for and passed the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examinations in 2024.

Laker moved to court after UNEB declined to release the documents. She argued that voters are entitled to full disclosure of academic qualifications when candidates seek public office.

UNEB defence rejected

UNEB opposed the application, arguing that examination scripts constitute personal data protected under the Data Protection Act and can only be released with the candidate’s consent.

The examinations body further stated that the 2011 Uganda Certificate of Education scripts had already been discarded in line with its document retention policy and were therefore unavailable.

Constitutional right to information

However, Akello dismissed UNEB’s arguments, citing Article 41 of the Constitution on access to information. She ruled that individuals seeking public office relinquish a degree of privacy, as voters must be able to verify their qualifications.

The court found that the information sought was of significant public interest and that UNEB’s refusal amounted to an unlawful obstruction of the electoral vetting process.

The court ordered UNEB to specifically release Lanyero Christine Awany’s Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education examination scripts and to pay sh12 million in general damages to Laker for violation of her rights. UNEB was also ordered to meet the full costs of the application.