The management of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (CPA) are under pressure from over 150 students from Northern Uganda who have called upon the institute to establish a permanent regional centre for examination in the region, rather than have then travel all the way to Namboole Stadium every June and December to sit for their accounting papers for professional accountancy. 

The students say that this is too costly in terms of distance, accommodation, work and family pressure.

This was revealed by the technical Manager of CPA Mr Mark Omona during a press briefing at Bomah Hotel when declaring the first regional exams centre for CPA papers in Gulu that will cater for the northern region.

Omona who is also the current focal person for the opened Gulu centre said that they took the complaint very seriously and from June this year all students of CPA programmes in Northern Uganda will sit their exams from Gulu.

Omona said that most students from upcountry used to fail the accountancy exams because they were stressed on many issues ranging from the war, transport, lodging and many others and hopefully with the war at an end and the centre nearer to them, better results can be achieved.

Godfrey Neema a Senior Admin Officer with CPA blasted graduates from universities and other institutions who have done accounting courses but have since failed to enrol for CPA.

According to Neema, there are so many practicing accountants than professional accountants, this is because the CPA was put in place by a 1992 act of parliament to regulate accounting professional in the country; but many have gone into practice without being certified by CPA and urges them to get certified as they will never be recognised as professional accountants in the county.