Fellow Accountants,
Let us not pretend this is just another routine vote. This is not about who has the best headshot. Or who has held the microphone longest. This is about impact. About choosing seven architects of the future, not custodians of the past.
The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) is not a retirement home for career professionals or a stepping stone for political aspirants. It is the engine room for economic discipline, public trust, and national integrity. Yet here we are, choosing seven council members from a lineup where some faces have turned the Council into a personal lounge.
Allow me to be plain: Some nominees are career politicians. Great on the podium, maybe. But governance is more than speeches. It is about risk, foresight, and strategic decisions that define the profession for the next 10 years.
Others are risk averse servants, with CVs full of positions but light on transformation. What have they built? What have they transformed? Who have they mentored? How do they demonstrate living the Institute values?
Few, very few, are builders of institutions. The ones who know how to set policy, implement, track results, and grow people. These are the ones we need. Not the ones with the most followers, but the ones who can create followers of systems, create sustainable impact.
Why should you vote?
Because if you don’t, others will vote for familiarity, not for impact. They will vote for the “he is my OB,” “we come from the same district,” or “I know her from our SACCO.” And then we will spend another 3 years blaming the same council for being sleepy while the profession faces extinction in the AI era.
Vote because the future of your practice, your students, your professional reputation, and your legacy depends on it.
So, who should you vote for?
Simple. Ask this question of each nominee: What have you built that is bigger than you, apart from your firm, and how will you make ICPAU future-ready?
Anyone who cannot answer that without using clichés like “I believe in teamwork” or “I bring integrity” is not ready.
You should vote for candidates who:
- a) Have built high-performing institutions or practices in addition to their accounting firms.
- b) Are not afraid to challenge status quo, who will ask: why are we still training accountants like it is 1998? The accounting syllabus is far behind the realities of our profession. Clients demand cybersecurity, data science and predictive analytics, AI modeling, and integrated reporting — but our syllabus is still “waiting to be updated.”
- c) Have led reform, not just spoken about it at conferences.
- d) Understand technology, governance, and the future of audit and advisory. Not just tax returns and IFRS templates.
- e) Will fight for visibility and opportunities for the profession, not just sit on the council waiting for sitting allowances and boasting rights.
- f) Are not using ICPAU to stay relevant in retirement or remain visible.
- g) Have mentored the next generation and know what Gen Z professionals need to thrive.
The future needs defenders of relevance
We are entering a time when accounting, as we know it, will be eaten by software, AI, and bots. The council must lead innovation, not resistance.
We need council members who think like futurists, act like entrepreneurs, and lead like stewards. People who will give their time to the Institute. Research and bring value to the table for the growth of our profession.
If you are a member of ICPAU and you’re still undecided, ask: “Who among these nominees will still be relevant to the profession in 2030?”
If you pick based on seniority or social ties, you are helping build the coffin of your profession.
But if you choose based on impact and future-readiness, you’re building a profession your children will be proud to inherit.
Let’s choose impact over image. Strategy over speech. Future over familiarity. Comment your top 3 picks below, and why? Let’s create the council we deserve.
I remain, Mr. Strategy
