“I want to be an auditor when I grow up,” declared Kiwanda, a Finance graduate of Makerere University Business School, and Level One student of Certified Public Accountants Uganda (CPAU). 

Kiwanda says he was encouraged by his sister to join Enabel's Work Readiness Programme (WRP). Holding onto his auditing dream, Kiwanda applied and was lucky to get chosen for the Programme.

He was placed at St. Nicholas Milling Centre, a factory that was established under the Kyamaganda Community Development Organization (KCDO) in the Lwengo District. His main responsibility was to improve the community’s welfare through value addition to the maize grown by the community. Kiwanda cheerily serves as a Finance Officer at the factory, and his placement has so far proven to be an invaluable learning experience. 

The graduate recalls his first encounter with report writing during his placement : “When I was asked to write my first financial report, it took me a while because I had to repeat it three times while I got guidance.” Once it was approved, Kiwanda felt accomplished, and it’s with this resilience that the graduate says he will approach all his tasks in the workforce. 

Kiwanda was taught to file tax returns by an official from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) who was hosted at Kyamaganda to guide the graduate accountant. The Programme has also equipped him with hands-on practice in handling debtors and creditors as well as the opportunity to use Quickbooks, an accounting software.

Through his interaction with fellow graduates from diverse professional backgrounds for example engineers and lawyers, Kiwanda has managed to hone his interpersonal skills and this interaction. He has also sharpened his communication ability.

“I express myself better now, and I’m happy to spend more time with them so that we can learn a lot from each other,” he says, adding that he admires the grit and determination of his engineering friends that he has met in the Programme. “Having a passion for construction and interacting with engineers has reinforced my knack for excellence, which is very necessary for the auditing career. Thanks to the Work Readiness Programme,” concludes the graduate accountant.