The Public Accountants Examinations Board (PAEB) of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU) today released the results of the May 2026 examinations, recording improved pass rates across both the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) and Certified Tax Advisor (CTA) programmes.
The May 2026 diet — the first of three scheduled for the year — was held from 18 to 22 May 2026 across seven examination centres in Arua, Fort Portal, Gulu, Kampala, Mbale, Mbarara, and Nkozi.
A total of 6,682 candidates sat for the examinations — 140 CTA and 6,542 CPA candidates — representing a 6.71% increase from the 6,262 who sat in December 2025.
For the CPA programme, the overall pass rate rose from 35.5% in December 2025 to 38.0% in May 2026, with 4,271 passes registered out of 11,233 scripts presented. The CTA programme recorded a stronger improvement, with the overall pass rate climbing from 47.3% to 54.8%, with 143 passes out of 261 scripts.
At Level II of the CTA programme, the pass rate improved markedly from 39% to 51.8%. The sharpest single-subject turnaround was in Business Accounting 2, which leapt from a 20% pass rate in December 2025 to 100% in May 2026. Five candidates — four male and one female — completed the full CTA qualification during this diet, bringing the cumulative total of CTA graduates to 117.
In the CPA programme, notable gains were recorded at Levels II and III. Financial Reporting improved dramatically from a 24.8% pass rate in December 2025 to 53.3%, while Advanced Taxation rose from 38.1% to 52.2%. However, PAEB flagged persistent challenges in several subjects, particularly Quantitative Techniques (24.0%), Advanced Financial Reporting (26.8%), and Audit Practice & Assurance (21.6%), urging students to engage more consistently with examiners’ reports and Institute support programmes.
117 candidates completed the CPA course during this diet — 61 female (52.1%) and 56 male (47.9%) — pushing the cumulative number of CPA graduates to 5,676.
The top student for the Integration of Knowledge paper (Paper 18) was Romeo M.M. Ssebugwawo, with Solomon Kamukama and Oscar Eddy Kiiza / Marvin Ngoma placing second and third respectively. Celina Kirabo was recognised as the best female student.
Women dominated the CPA candidature, accounting for 58.5% of the 11,233 scripts presented. In the CTA programme, male candidates presented the majority of scripts at 64.4%. On age performance, the 25–29 years bracket led CPA passes with 41%, followed by the 30–34 years bracket at 27%.
For both programmes, PAEB noted a positive correlation between participation in the Institute’s free virtual student engagement sessions and examination success — with students who participated recording pass rates significantly above the broader candidate pool. Of the 2,143 candidates who engaged in preparation activities, 44.1% of those who eventually sat passed their papers.
Addressing stakeholders at the results release ceremony, PAEB Chairperson CPA Nancy Amuge Owino encouraged students who did not pass to remain determined, noting that professional qualifications demand persistence. She also reminded finalists that completion of examinations is not the final milestone — membership of ICPAU, contingent on fulfilling Practical Experience Training requirements, remains the ultimate objective.
