The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) has released results for the May examinations, with a call on Ugandans to prepare for increased taxes starting July. ICPAU President, Timothy David Ediomu told students and the accountancy fraternity that with Uganda Revenue Authority tasked to raise 40 trillion shillings in tax revenues, and with the government planning to reduce dependence of external financing, Ugandans can only prepare to support the government to raise the revenues.
CPA Ediomu says a reasonable tax base can only be achieved if most businesses formalise and join the taxpaying business community. He says micro, small and medium entrepreneurs find it hard and burdening to pay taxes because they have decided to remain informal, adding that this also denies them the opportunity to ably demand for accountability for the taxes.
Ediomu says that there will also likely be an increase in the prices of essential goods and services due to the increments in the excise duties on several items. ICPAU now offers only two courses: Certified Tax Advisor and the Certified Public Accountancy, following the transfer of the Accounting Technicians Diploma course to Uganda Vocational and Technical Assessment Board (UVTAB).
Ediomu urges the students and accountants generally, to always uphold transparency, expertise and professionalism in applying their skills which are badly needed for the progress of the country. ICPAU Chief Executive Officer, Derrick Nkajja, says the CTA course was started in 2023, as professional certification designed to produce competent tax experts and advisors, after realising the existence of the gap in the country’s tax administration regime.
The May sitting featured 141 CTA candidates and 6,542 CPA candidates, a slight increase of 6.7 percent compared to those who sat in December 2025. Nkajja said ICPAU was established to ensure professionalism and discipline in the practice, adding that accountancy was needed across all sectors of the economy.
The CTA exam registered an improvement is performance with a pass rate of 54.8%, from 47.3% in the previous sitting. Of the 261 scripts submitted, 93 were by female students.This category of exam was also dominated by students aged 30 years and above with 72% of the passes. In the CPA exam, the overall pass rate improved from 35.5% to 38%, with major improvements recorded at levels II and III.
Public Accountancy Examinations Board Vice Chairman, Alfred Kabuchu, says they noted recurrent weaknesses in the application of technical knowledge, examination technique and interpretation of requirements. The 6,542 CPA students presented 11,233 exam scripts, 58.5%of them being for female candidates.
A total of 117 students completed the CPA course, 52.1% of them being female, bringing the cumulative number of students who have completed the course to now 5,676. CPA Ediomu informed them that completing the levels was not the ultimate achievement, but completing the requirements for full membership, which guarantees one a certificate to practice as a full accountant.-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
