Cephas has been working as an accountant for more than 25 years, but wanted to upgrade his knowledge further and chose to study the ACA. He was one of the first cohort of ACA students in Africa and was the first member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya to qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.
ICAEW route: Finance degree
Industry: Various
Location: Kenya
I qualified as a CPA in Kenya in 1989 and have been a partner in Crowe Horwath for more than 20 years. One highlight of my job has been sitting on the International Audit and Accounting Committee for the firm where I am responsible for delivering the global audit strategy for Africa.
Due to the ever-changing technical and legislative framework that we work in I felt that I needed to upgrade my professional knowledge and skills.
Although I am currently pursuing my MBA, I wanted a world-class professional qualification to be able to give our clients the best advice possible and the ACA qualification fits the bill.
I was among the first to study the ACA in Africa and as the first students we had little idea of what was expected of us and we did not have all the resources that are available in the UK, so this was a big challenge.
I was also the first member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) to qualify as an ACA following the agreement between ICPAK and ICAEW so this has been my biggest achievement so far.
It has been difficult to juggle family, a busy practice and going back to school, but the ACA has made me more confident in my audit and accounting expertise and my IFRS and ISA knowledge has been vastly developed.
As a partner, I use the skills I gained from the ACA to train and guide the audit teams and it is always enjoyable when we receive compliments from our clients on an assignment well done.
One piece of advice I would give to students considering a career in chartered accountancy is that the world is a global village. They should take this opportunity of being able to work anywhere in the world.
The ACA is the premier accountancy qualification and is recognised globally. This will guarantee their future career and ability to work anywhere.
There are a number of different routes to becoming an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. You can start your journey straight from school, while you're at university or after you have graduated. Find out which route is right for you.
Find your routeAs a student there are exemptions available for up to 12 of the 15 ACA exams and these can be claimed by applying for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL).
As a member of another professional accountancy body, you may be eligible to join us through one of our reciprocal agreements.