UNEB sets date for verification letters of political aspirants

KAMPALA - As the general elections draw near, Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has set the date for application of verification letters of people aspiring for political positions.

According to a document signed by the UNEB executive secretary Dan Odongo, any person aspiring for a political position, who may wish to apply for letters of verification for their Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) certificates from the UNEB should obtain an introductory letter from the respective school(s) and submit copies of the certificates to be verified.

Other requirements include presenting a copy of the National ID card, and aspirants whose documents that have been verified before, but may wish to verify for purposes of the upcoming elections, should present a copy of the letter that UNEB previously wrote to the Electoral Commission.

The presidential Elections Act 2005, the Parliamentary Elections Act of 2005 and the Local Government (Amendment) Act of 2005, require all prospective aspirants for positions of President, Members of Parliament and District Chairpersons to have completed a minimum formal education of Advanced Level standard by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) or its equivalent.

Odongo said online applications can be done on the UNEB website. Both online and physical applications should be submitted not later than April 15, for District Chairpersons and May 15 for Presidential and parliamentary aspirants. Alternatively, they can hand-deliver their application to the UNEB offices.

In 2016, some MPs were thrown out of Parliament over insufficient academic qualifications.

The EC, however, distanced itself from allegations that it is responsible for the verification of the fake documents.