When pursing a degree or diploma course, you should also consider pursuing a professional course. In Kenya, there are a couple of professional certifications which are suitable for specific careers. For one to become more marketable, they have to supplement their undergraduates/diploma courses with a professional certification. For instance, if one pursues Bachelor of Commerce, they have to combine with ACCA, CPA or CFA for them to secure employment faster and easily.
Below we list the best professional certifications in Kenya and who should pursue them.
- Certified Public Accountants
Certified Public Accountants is the most popular professional certification in Kenya. The program is pursued by individuals who are aiming to become accountants or financial professional. To register for CPA, you have to possess the following minimum requirements:
- Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination with an aggregate average of at least grade C+ (C plus) or its equivalent.
- Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE) with at least TWO Principal passes provided that the applicant has credits in Mathematics and English at Kenya Certificate of Education (KCE) level or equivalent qualifications.
- kasneb technician, diploma or professional examination certificate.
- A degree from a recognised university.
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examination grade C in 6 papers with C in both English and Mathematics.
- Such other certificates or diplomas as may be approved by kasneb.
Make sure that you enroll for the program immediately you get your KCSE result.
The program contains three levels and is administered by Kasneb.Once one successfully passes section six,he is allowed to become a member of ICPAK.
With a CPA qualification, you will get a job faster than one with only a degree course.
- ACCA: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
I always advise anyone intending to grow faster in their career to pursue ACCA instead of CPA.ACCA is globally recognized and can enable you to work anywhere in the world. International companies prefer those with ACCA over CPA qualification.
ACCA is offered at Strathmore University, anyone with a C+ and above is allowed to study for the course. It’s suitable for accountants auditors and finance professionals.
- Chartered Financial Analysts(CFA)
Chartered Financial Analyst(CFA) course is ideal for financial analysts, actuaries, researchers and investment analysts. This is the most powerful professional certification in the business world. When you possess CFA in Kenya, your salary will never be below Ksh200,000 per month.CFA takes up to 6 years to complete but it’s very marketable.
You are only allowed to pursue CFA if you’re a graduate or you possess at least two years’ of professional experience.
- Certified Fraud Examiner(CFE)
Certified Fraud Examiner is a perfect course for individuals aiming to work as auditors or in the investigation agencies. It’s administered by the Institute of certified Fraud Examiner and comprises of three levels. Instead of pursuing CPA when you want to become an auditor, go for CFE.Every graduate is allowed to pursue this program irrespective of their area of specialization.
- Certified Secretaries(CS)
Certified Secretaries is a perfect course for lawyers, front office professionals, customer care staff, HR professionals, International Relations experts and PR professionals. When you hold a diploma in customer service and front office related courses, Certified Secretaries is the best professional certification to possess in order to become more marketable and earn more money.
The course is offered by Kasneb.Entry requirements are:
- Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination with an aggregate average of at least grade C+ (C plus) or its equivalent.
- Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE) with at least TWO Principal passes provided that the applicant has credits in Mathematics and English at Kenya Certificate of Education (KCE) level or equivalent qualifications.
- kasneb technician, diploma or professional examination certificate.
- A degree from a recognised university.
- International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) examination grade C in 6 papers with C in both English and Mathematics.
- Such other certificates or diplomas as may be approved by kasneb.
CS is a marketable course, more marketable than a diploma in Front Office.
- Certified Information Communication Technologists (CICT)
Certified Information Communication Technologists (CICT) is offered by KASNEB and targets IT, computer science, software engineering and graduates with related qualification. With a C+ in KCSE or a degree in IT related courses, you’ll be allowed to pursue this certification.
Employers often determine competencies of job seekers based on the professional course they have pursued. Those without professional certification are regarded as lazy.
- Oracle Database Certification
After completing your degree in computer science or software engineering, it’s important to enroll for Oracle courses. The certification will help you secure employment in Safaricom, Google, IBM or any other top IT company in Kenya.
- Certified Investment and Financial Analysts (CIFA)
Certified Investment and Financial Analysts (CIFA) is for graduates wanting to major in finance and investment. Those aiming to pursue CFA are advised to complete CIFA to get background knowledge of Finance. If you are pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree and specializing in Finance, CIFA is the best certification to pursue. Kasneb will allow you to do the course even before you enroll for a degree course. A C+in KCSE general grade plus C+ in Mathematics are required for one to get enrolled for CIFA.
- Actuarial Professional Certification
Actuarial Professional Certification is extremely important for Actuaries. The Society Of Actuaries is the best institution to enroll for certification. It takes students up to 12 years to complete all the professional courses in the institution.
There is no way you can be recognized as an Actuary in Kenya if you don’t possess the professional courses—even a First Class in Actuarial won’t take you anywhere if you are not a recognized actuary by international bodies like SOA.
- Certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya (CPSP-K)
Certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya (CPSP-K) is offered by the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management. It’s the best professional certification for Procurement and Purchasing professionals. Once you pursue your undergraduate or diploma course in procurement or purchases, enroll for Certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya (CPSP-K)
- Chartered Insurance Institute(CII)
If you pursue Bachelor of Commerce and specialize in Insurance, please enroll for Chartered Insurance Institute(CII) and get certified. This professional certification is important for individuals working in the insurance or banking industries.
- Certified Credit Professionals (CCP)
Certified Credit Professionals (CCP) is essential for credit professionals, it’s offered by Kasneb.This is applicable in Saccos, Banks, Mobile loan companies and insurance sector. Only those with C+ and above in KCSE or a degree course are allowed to pursue the course.
- Certified Internal Auditor
For auditors, instead pf pursuing CPA, enroll for Certified Internal Audit certification. Global audit companies like PWC, Delotte and KPMG prefer those with CIA qualification over CPA.
- Certified Financial Planner(CFP)
Certified Financial Planner is for those working in the stock market, real estate, insurance companies and banks.
- Statistical packages for Statisticians and data managers
If you’re a statistician or data manager, it’s wise to enroll for statistical packages like SPSS, R, Stata and Geographical Information system tools like Arview and ArcGis.
