The Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) has registered 1,627,885 candidates for the 2026 national examinations, a 14.9% increase from the 1,416,448 candidates registered last year.
The Board said 52% of the candidates are female and 48% male, while 52% are Government-sponsored under Universal Education programmes. A total of 6,090 learners have been registered under Special Needs Education (SNE).
The examination cycle will begin with UCE candidate briefing on October 8, followed by PLE briefing on October 30 and UACE briefing on November 6.
PLE candidature increased by 12.4% from 818,885 to 920,796, while UCE rose by 16.4% from 432,163 to 503,214. UACE recorded the largest increase, rising 22.5% from 166,400 to 203,875 candidates.
UNEB Executive Director Dan Odongo said the 2026 examinations will be conducted under the theme “Advancing Excellence in Assessment and Certification through Secure, Credible, Inclusive and Innovative Processes.”
“The process must be inclusive, offering accommodations in examination papers and such other considerations that are designed to mitigate the effects of their disabilities,” Odongo said.
The 2026 UCE candidates will be the third cohort assessed under the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), while UACE candidates from the pioneer CBC cohorts at lower secondary will be assessed under a curriculum aligned with CBC assessment modalities.
UNEB has warned schools against falsely declaring candidates as having special educational needs to obtain additional examination time or other advantages.
“This gives the candidate an unfair advantage over the others,” Odongo said.
Candidates have also been asked to verify their names, dates of birth, gender, photographs and registered subjects on displayed registers before October 7.
UNEB also cautioned candidates against indiscipline, saying being an examination candidate does not exempt them from school rules and regulations.
