What you need to know:
- PLE is scheduled to run from Friday, October 30 to Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Mukono District chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome has warned head teachers of public primary schools that they risk being demoted to classroom teachers if their schools fail to produce at least one first-grade candidate in the forthcoming Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
Mr Mukoome issued the warning on Monday while addressing parents and Primary Seven pupils during dedication prayers at Kawuku Boarding Primary School in Kimenyedde Sub-county, saying the era of public officials occupying positions without delivering results was over.
“I will evaluate all of you after the Uganda National Examinations Board releases results early next year. If your school fails to produce a single first grade, you have no business being a head teacher,” Mr Mukoome said.
He said he had previously taken similar action against underperforming head teachers during his first tenure as district chairperson about 10 years ago, when he promoted high-performing classroom teachers to headship positions and demoted some head teachers based on their results.
Mr Mukoome noted that Mukono was once ranked among Uganda’s three best-performing districts but had since declined because some leaders allowed public servants to become complacent.
He praised Kawuku Boarding Primary School for consistently performing well in national examinations despite being located in a rural setting, saying it was now competing with elite private schools in urban centres.
The school’s head teacher, Fredrick Kabonge, whom Mr Mukoome promoted from classroom teacher more than a decade ago, said enrolment had increased from 300 pupils in 2020, when he took over, to 840.
However, Mr Kabonge said the growing number of pupils had put pressure on the school’s facilities, leaving it with inadequate desks, no library and no main hall.
In response, Mr Mukoome pledged to construct a multipurpose hall at the school in the next financial year.
He also donated 200 hand hoes and promised to provide computers to help pupils acquire computer skills.
PLE is scheduled to run from Friday, October 30 to Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Warning against illegal school fees
During the visit, Mr Mukoome also warned head teachers against charging illegal fees in public schools, saying he and security agencies had begun cracking down on those accused of extorting money from parents.
He cited a recent case in which a head teacher was arrested for allegedly collecting PLE registration fees from parents before registering the candidates under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, through which the government pays examination fees.
“Imagine charging parents Uneb fees and then registering the candidates under UPE. That is illegal and theft. Those doing it should stop forthwith,” he said.
The House of Clergy chairperson in Mukono Diocese, Rev Edward Muyomba, who attended the event, defended parents’ contributions towards school meals.
Rev Muyomba cautioned parents against reporting lunch-fee disputes to Resident District Commissioners, arguing that children who go hungry risk developing serious illnesses and performing poorly academically.
He also urged parents to regulate their children’s smartphone use, warning that unrestricted access could expose them to pornography and other harmful content.