As an Auditor who frequently travels upcountry to conduct audits, I had limited time to attend CPA lectures and therefore resorted to self-study for most of my exams – CPA Jude Buyeera
CPA Jude Buyeera is a Senior Internal Auditor at BRAC Uganda in charge of internal audit, compliance and investigations services. Previously, he worked with Grant Thornton Uganda Certified Public Accountants as a Senior Audit Associate two. He is a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU).
CPA Buyeera was recognized at the 12th ICPAU graduation (6 March 2020), as the top student in CPA-18 (Integration of Knowledge), August 2019 examinations.
He shares his experience …
My inspiration to pursue the CPA course
As a young man who had a dream of becoming a Catholic priest, I attended St. Pius X Seminary Nagongera for my O-level studies between 2006 and 2009 where I scored 31 Aggregates in the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE).
Since the seminary did not have an A-level section, I later attended Mbale Comprehensive High School for my A-level studies between 2010 and 2011 and I scored 23 Points in the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). I subsequently qualified for the Uganda government national merit scholarship to study the Bachelor of Business Administration at Makerere University Business School between August 2012 and May 2015.
By the end of my third year, I had scored a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.95 out of 5.00 and on 29 May 2015, I won the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) best accounting student award and partial scholarship to study the ACCA course.
While still a seminarian, we had a common Latin saying, “Multi autem sunt, vocati pauci vero electi” meaning many are called but few are chosen. At this point, I believed my calling was probably in accounting and not priesthood.
Realising that I might not afford the cost of the rest of the ACCA papers to which the scholarship did not apply, I enrolled for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) course in June 2016. I completed in August 2019 (3 years) as a top finalist with 84% score in the final Paper.
I had a passion for public practice (external audit) and upon completion of CPA, I applied for membership with the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) and I was enrolled under membership number FM-3380. I also enrolled for the Practical Experience Training (PET) programme with Ronye Associates CPAs to acquire the remaining one year of external audit experience, which is a requirement for obtaining a Certificate of Practice.
Success factors
My success factors were extensive self-study, holding of discussions with my course mates, consultations with CPA tutors and above all, praying to God for guidance to correctly interpret and answer examination questions. As the Latin saying goes, “Fortuna et Labore”, hard work contributed significantly towards my successful academic journey. These factors were enriched by sacrifice, dedication, focus and determination.
Challenges
Limited time to attend lectures due to my busy audit schedules and lack of well streamlined reading materials at the initial stages of the course.
The Role of the ICPAU study Material
I used ICPAU study texts of Business Policy, and Auditing & other Assurance services to do self-study and prepare for those exams. I can say they were rich in content and since they were prepared in accordance with the course syllabus, they simplified my preparation for those two exams and I passed well.
The Impact of your career?
The CPA course has enhanced my technical knowledge particularly in Financial Reporting and Auditing & other Assurance Services. These two being my core areas of practice, I am confident that I have been well equipped to handle daily challenges that I interface in my audit career.
Mode of study
I did self-study for most of my papers and attended lectures for some papers as well.
I attended World Class Business Tutors, KKH Consultant and Dream Align Consult for papers where I needed more guidance.
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