Students taking accounting courses in Kenya can now release a sigh of relief. This is because The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) has announced plans to introduce a four-year practical experience requirement for students to qualify as professionals as opposed to years of practice.
The programme is expected to kick off from July 1 in partnership with the Kenya Accountants and Secretary National Examinations Board (Kasneb).
It targets the current group of students doing professional accounting courses in Kenya who will get membership after exams as opposed to years of work.
ICPAK chief executive Edwin Makori said the target is between 10,000 and 18,000 students doing accounting courses in Kenya.
“The aim is to ensure that we bridge the gap between when a student doing any accounting courses in Kenya finishes examination and when one is admitted as a professional. It becomes very easy; you finish your exams and you can be more or less assured that immediately you can become a professional accountant,” said Mr Makori.
Practical experience is a requirement for those intending to engage in public practice after completing any accounting courses in Kenya.
Currently, the experience is gained after a student completes CPA (K) – the last stage of exam by Kasneb.
The student is then admitted as an associate member. This allows them to acquire experience for a period of three years after completing their accounting courses in Kenya, and then apply to become a substantive member.
While accounting courses in Kenya are seen as highly lucrative, they are not the most popular choice for many students who consider the too mathematical and as a result hard to tackle!
