William Ssuuna, Old Kampala Senior Secondary School Head teachr, found himself in a predicament on Tuesday night when he was taken into police custody for his alleged involvement in examination malpractices. Ssuuna was not alone in this ordeal, as he was apprehended alongside Luyima Gilbert, a teacher at Bank Hill College in Zana, and Zuria Kunia Kareem, the Headteacher of Nakaseke Seed School.
According to information from police sources, the trio was allegedly discovered in possession of what seemed to be a set of Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) examination papers. They were subsequently detained at the Old Kampala Police Station. The individuals were caught within the confines of the headmaster’s offices at Old Kampala Secondary School, where they were seemingly in unlawful possession of history papers one and four, as well as geography papers two, all neatly packed in a bag, as disclosed by the police.
In accordance with the UNEB timetable, candidates were scheduled to sit for the history papers on that very day, implying that the suspects may have gained access to the papers shortly before the scheduled examination.
Luke Owesigire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, confirmed the arrest without delving into specific details and directed our reporter to UNEB for further information, while requesting time to gather more information.
The UNEB spokesperson, Jennifer Kalule, confirmed the arrest and stated, “I am aware of the situation, and I will gather more information. At the moment, I’m on my way to a meeting.”
Old Kampala Secondary School, established in 1932 by Asian teachers K.D. Gupta and B.D. Gupta from Bengal, India, has a rich history of providing education to the local community. K.D. Gupta served as the school’s first headmaster. Over the years, the school has nurtured many prominent individuals, including Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, Uganda’s former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya, Pastor Robert Kayanja, Gen (Rtd) David Tinyefunza, Moses Kigongo, and business mogul Sudhir Ruparelia.
Despite its storied history and cultural heritage, the school has faced challenges in recent years, including a decline in academic performance and extracurricular activities. Internal management disputes have strained relations among former students, current teachers, the school’s management board, and the administration.
The deterioration of the school’s academic quality has not only affected academic performance but has also raised concerns about student discipline. Recently, a group of students from the school was apprehended by the police for being involved in a recreational substance-related incident in Nansana. Since the beginning of this year’s Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) examination, UNEB, in collaboration with the police, has arrested head teachers, teachers, and invigilators on allegations of engaging in malpractices.
It’s worth noting that the recently revised UNEB Act has significantly increased the penalties for malpractice offenses. Upon conviction, culprits now face the possibility of imprisonment ranging from 5 to 10 years and fines of up to 20 million UGX.
