Jobs for Bachelor of Commerce Graduates

What a BCom prepares you for

The Bachelor of Commerce is the broadest business degree offered in Kenya, which is both its strength and its challenge. Most universities let you specialise in the third or fourth year, usually in accounting, finance, banking, marketing, human resource management, procurement or business management. Employers rarely ask for "a BCom" on its own; they ask for a BCom plus the specialisation, a professional paper or two, and some evidence you have used the skills.

Typical first jobs

• Accounts assistant, finance officer or audit associate (accounting and finance options)
• Relationship officer, customer service or credit officer in banks, SACCOs and microfinance
• Sales executive, marketing assistant or brand trainee in FMCG, insurance and telecoms
• HR assistant, procurement assistant or graduate trainee in larger companies and the public service

Entry requirements

Government-sponsored places are allocated through KUCCPS. Most universities ask for a minimum KCSE mean grade of C+ with at least a C+ (or similar) in Mathematics, because the course includes statistics, economics and quantitative methods. Diploma holders in a business field can often join in second year after credit transfer.

Professional papers that change your prospects

A BCom alone is common in the Kenyan job market, so the professional qualification is what separates candidates. Accounting and finance graduates usually sit CPA through KASNEB and later join ICPAK; banking and investment graduates often take CIFA; HR graduates need the IHRM practising certificate and CHRP; procurement graduates register with KISM and sit CPSP-K. Many students start these exams while still at university, which shortens the path considerably.

Career path

A common progression is graduate trainee or assistant for one to three years, then officer, senior officer, and manager after roughly six to ten years, depending on the sector. Banks, audit firms and multinationals run structured graduate programmes that open each year, usually advertised between June and October. Reading Kenyan business news on BusinessRadar helps in interviews, because panels often ask what you know about the company's market, competitors and recent results.

Before you accept an offer, check the take-home figure with the PAYE calculator rather than relying on the gross salary in the letter.