Juggling books and navy duties

At one second he was attending lectures and the subsequent name of obligation can be with UPDF for obligation that extended Lt Col Dr Julius Emmy Kumanya’s PhD in Administration and Administration from doable 4 years to seven however didn’t break his resolve to achieve the milestone.

At Kumanya’s commencement social gathering at Las Vegas Backyard Resort in Bunga just lately,  we learnt that the battle hardened soldier {and professional} accountant researched on the evaluation of steady skilled improvement coaching and efficiency of accountants within the public sector of Uganda.

Like his identify Kumanya (loosely translated as to know) in Bantu dialect, the amiable navy man has an unmatched love for books and has left a path of being the perfect in many of the tutorial establishments he attended.

At Kumanya’s commencement, attended by crème de la crème within the military, academia and Rotary fraternity, he revealed how he was impressed to crave the doctorate achievement by a few of his shut family and demanding society when he was tied down by navy assignments.

“I’m lucky to have Prof Alex Bashasha as my uncle as a result of he bankrolled me for this prestigious course. I’ve all the time needed to tread his tutorial and navy path since childhood. Halfway his research in 1979, Prof Bashasha broke off to battle Idi Amin, returned to books to develop into a professor in legislation. That’s the path I’ve all the time adopted,” he stated.

Getting a nod from Museveni

In his maiden speech on the commencement, Dr Kumanya revealed how he labored as a soldier on the lowest rank of Non-public within the then Presidential Safety Unit (PPU) December 31, 1997 the place he stood up at a presidential briefing in Rwakitura to ask President Yoweri Museveni if low rating troopers can even proceed pursuing their tutorial desires. He would remind the Commander in Chief about the identical on August 18, 1998 about the identical plea to which he directed the then commanding officer Maj Dick Bugingo to pave manner for the troopers in want of additional tutorial endeavours. That allowed Kumanya to enroll for a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Accounting at Makerere College. He graduated with honours on October 22, 2004.

Instantly after commencement, he enrolled for  the Affiliation of Chattered Licensed Accountants (ACCA) of UK. This was interrupted by his being nominated for officer cadet course in Butiaba in 2006 the place he was commissioned to second lieutenant.

He was thereafter posted to work with Gen Kale Kayihura as a monetary analyst within the Uganda Police Drive. He labored intently with AIGP John Ndungutse who additionally graced the  occasion within the Skilled Requirements Unit (PSU).

Later, Kumanya received a possibility to undertake his submit graduate research on scholarship underneath the India-Africa Tele-education programme collaborated between Amity College , India and Makerere College to pursue a Masters in Monetary Administration from 2011 to 2012. He turned out among the finest performers in his class and was aptly suggested by Prof Gerald Karyeija Kagambirwe in regards to the alternative of a PhD programme at Uganda Administration Institute in 2013. Sponsored by his uncle  Prof Bashasha, Kumanya set out for his doctorate in 2013 that was punctuated with breakoffs to take care of profession navy coaching.

Kumanya’s tangible enter will be finest felt in Wazalendo Sacco, the UPDF saving scheme.

 “I labored for 2 years as a treasurer and was a part of the crew that remodeled Wazalendo Sacco efficiency from 2014 to 2016. From internet income after tax of Shs6bn to Shs15bn after I left, along with fixing the tax query that the President put to relaxation. It provides me satisfaction that its capital is now larger than most business banks on the town,” he stated.

To get to the D-day, Kumanya had 4 layoffs which expounds the seven-year wait. First, he was despatched to US for a navy logistics course at Wright Phillips Air Drive Base in Ohio within the Defence Institute of Safety Cooperation Research (DISCS). 

Thereafter, he was despatched to Gadhafi Barracks for a junior command and employees course for six months and in the identical yr was despatched to NALI-Kyankwanzi for Superior Political Training and Management Course (APELC). The lengthier break got here with the senior command and employees course at Kimaka the place he graduated with a handed employees school (psc) accolade which may drive the weak-hearted to bin the PhD.

“I’m glad to have all the time been deployed on the headquarters and likewise being gifted with a knack to know classes in school. I labored throughout the day and burned midnight oil to realize this honour with distinction,” he revealed. 

On the identical time, he dared to concurrently undertake one other Masters of Arts in Defence and Safety Research at Makerere College underneath  a partnership with Senior Command and Employees Faculty, Kimaka that he might be graduating subsequent yr.

Kumanya credit his ‘understanding’ UMI lecturers who coincidentally taught at Kimaka.

Kumanya’s PhD thesis analysis seems on the steady skilled improvement coaching {of professional} accountants working in authorities entities. The accountants Act requires them to have necessary 40 hours of coaching yearly.

“My research confirmed that it isn’t what they research however their work atmosphere. They’re supervised by politicians which have private agendas, but the society additionally impacts on their efficiency and calls for them to achieve riches even when you don’t earn a commensurate wage,” he stated.

He checked out those who had skilled and those who had not skilled however they have been roughly the identical. The research advisable that the coaching of accountants, particularly in know-how is a should and thus Kumanya developed a Competence improvement and analysis mannequin adopted from Kirkpatrick, 2009.

“We embedded it for use by authorities to make an evaluation of the required abilities of accountants reasonably than simply sending them for coaching. Authorities businesses should have a look at who’s expert and the right way to deal with them, assist them apply what they’ve discovered, consider and implement what’s studied to resolve monetary mismanagement within the nation,” he added.

The daddy of six is prepared for redeployment with UPDF, serving the Institute of Licensed Public Accountants (ICPAU) and persevering with with accountancy analysis and disseminating information along with serving Rotary Worldwide since he’s a member. A working towards accountant with Kumanya Karakuzi & Co, an audit agency the place he’s the managing companion, he’s ready for UPDF to offer him the inexperienced mild to take up a educating alternative at UMI and later lengthen his analysis to achieve professorship.

Kumanya first broke his ‘efficiency document’ in secondary faculty 9 years aside and continued to excel at high establishments.

“He’s a go-getter, centered, reserved and clever. I knew that nothing may halt his dream of accomplishing the PhD,” Prof Bashasha revealed.

He thanked the military management for granting troopers akin to Kumanya training area to achieve their desires and reshape the drive.

“I’m grateful to his rapid boss Brig Gen Charles Bakahamura who has supported him. Kumanya is headed for giant issues within the professionalising drive if he can hold his all the way down to earth, sturdy and patriotic manner,” he added. 

Prof Bashasha urged Kumanya to improve to satisfy the demanding requirements of the ever altering world.

 He’s motivated by about 5 different PhD holders together with a professor of legal guidelines and UPDF’s transfer to enhance its human capital with the Training Implementation Committee (EIC) initiative headed by Maj Gen Henry Masiko who graced the event. 

Whereas working on the chieftaincy of finance, he helped put together a syllabus for officers to amass a primary finance officers course carried out on the Faculty of Logistics and Engineering in Magamaga, being one of many instructors and his initiative with ICPAU has seen greater than 30 troopers enroll for CPA programme sponsored by Ministry of Finance.  

Kumanya is ceaselessly indebted to Brig Gen Bakahumura, the chief of logistics and engineering in UPDF who attended the commencement and lauded him as ‘workaholic, devoted and modern soldier’.

Born on March 26, 1973 to Winston George Turahe and Rhoda Turahe in Nyarurambi Parish Rwamucucu Sub-county in Rukiga District, Kumanya is married to fellow chartered accountant Sylvia Drabo Kumanya and so they have six youngsters. He attended Kihanga Boys College, Kihanga Senior Secondary College and St Peter’s Faculty Tororo in 1994 earlier than re-joining the military in 1996. He had earlier been in NRA as a kadogo however returned dwelling to additional his training.