The angry learners together with their parents told the security personnel that they cleared the school fees and the UNEB registration dues but the money was diverted by the school administrators.
Students of Cream Field Vocational Senior Secondary School located in Nakifuma-Naggalama Town Council, Mukono district have today turned rowdy and destroyed school property after failing to sit for their final Senior Four UNEB exams.
Naggalama Division Police on Monday morning rushed to the scene to calm down the situation after the school directors and the teachers escaped, leaving the students stranded.
The angry learners together with their parents told the security personnel that they cleared the school fees and the UNEB registration dues but the money was diverted by the school administrators.
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They named Sheikh Muhammad Ssenfuka and Ramathan Muwonge as the school directors who are currently on the run after eating their money meant for UNEB registration.
Mukono Resident District Commissioner, Hajat Fatuma Ndisaba Nabitaka in company of her deputy, Moses Muyambi got to the school premises on Monday and ordered for the indefinite closure of the school.
Ndisaba also ordered Naggalama Division Police Commander, Edna Nyiraneza to hunt for the school directors, administrators and charge them accordingly.
On Sunday evening, parents and learners expressed anger and frustration over the last-minute revelation. Several candidates even fainted and were rushed to nearby health centres upon learning that they would not sit the exams.
Others described sleepless nights and anxiety as they struggled to understand how the school had failed them.
Rayan Kizito, one of the affected candidates said their school does not host a UNEB examination centre, so students were expected to sit the exams at Nakifuma Modern Secondary School.
Kizito added that since the second term, students had not received index numbers and were promised they would get them during the briefing.
However, during the briefing, learners were left confused as no proper session took place. When they went to the designated exam centre, the headteacher initially assured them their registration issue was being addressed. Later, they discovered they had never been registered for the exams.
Parents expressed deep frustration and anxiety, noting their confusion over their children’s failure to sit for the examinations after completing their four years of ‘O’ level.
For years, some headteachers and school administrators have been known to misappropriate candidates’ registration fees. In response, UNEB introduced strict measures to curb such practices. Section 32 of the UNEB Act states:
“A person who is authorised, or purports to be authorised, by an examination centre to collect examination registration fees from students, and fails or neglects to remit the fees to the Examinations Board, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 40 million shillings, imprisonment not exceeding ten years, or both. In addition, the person convicted shall repay the money collected from the concerned students or their sponsors and compensate them accordingly.”
The parents also asked RDC Ndisaba to intervene also in another school, Happy Hill Junior School which is also run by Sheikh Ssenfuka saying they were not sure whether its P7 candidates were registered.
After reaching there, the security team found that all the school administrators and teachers had already sneaked out, leaving behind only one teacher who was arrested together with the woman suspected to be the sister to Ssenfuma who was collecting information and sending it to some people she was communicating with on phone.
They were driven to Naggalama Police Station where they are supposed to help police with information that will lead to the arrest of Ssenfuka and other suspects.
