The Strathmore University Accounting Roundtable Forum, organized by the School of Management and Commerce (SMC) for students specializing in Accounting was filled with great knowledge and networking opportunities. The events theme; Contemporary Accounting and its Role in Corporate Strategy.

 

Gracing the occasion as the Guest of Honour was Mr. Samuel Lumumba – Manager, Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance, KPMG. Mr. Lumumba has extensive experience in Internal Audit, cutting across public and private sectors.

 

In his keynote address, Mr. Lumumba discussed the importance of having a plan and strategy to guide with transition from highschool into the world. He also emphasized that if students aspire to get to a senior level position one day, such as CFO or a partner in a firm, then developing interpersonal skills and having the ability to develop strong networks early on will be essential to their success. He added that students should exhibit an interest in investigating information that could best be demonstrated in the course load the student takes, the clubs they join, and the extracurricular activities they participate in.

 

Dr. David Wang’ombe – Dean SMC, who also took stage to interact with the students, emphasized on the fact that a successful student should be a good problem-solver. This is because the accounting profession tackles analyzing budgets, managing taxes, auditing corporate finances, computing costs, and tracking income and assets, tasks that require high level of problem solving. In addition, an inquisitive nature to uncover details is almost mandatory.

 

After the address, students engaged in beneficial interactions through roundtable discussions that allowed for extensive discussion and feedback from key industry personnel from companies that included; KPMG, Deloitte, Vivo energy, KRA, and DK Wambua and Associates.