KENYA: Be Good Stewards – Says Bishop Wainaina to Church Finance Managers

The Chairman of Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) Council for Economic Affairs, Rt. Rev. James Maria Wainaina, has called on finance managers and accountants affiliated to KCCB institutions to be good stewards of Church goods and to reawaken in themselves the spirit of service to God’s people.

Speaking during the opening of the Annual Finance Conference that brings together finance managers and accountants affiliated to KCCB institutions, on August 27th, 2019 in Diani, Kwale, Bishop Wainaina urged those entrusted with managing the finance offices of the Church to always remember that their work is a vocation and part of the universal call to salvation.

“A good steward will give a clear and accurate account of what has been placed under their care,” said Bishop Wainaina. “As accountants, our service is a call, a vocation. To account well, to be a good steward is a vocation. A vocation must not seek to be compensated. Good accounting brings about great satisfaction and this is part of the reward. The level of your salary will never be commensurate with the level of your responsibility to the Church.”

In reference to this year’s theme “Global Trends in Finance Management, Challenges and Opportunities,” the Bishop reiterated the important role that accountants play in the running of Church institutions, noting that their work determines whether an institution succeeds of fails.

“In most offices, it is the finance office that approves budgets and payments, looks into finances and has the responsibility to raise funds. It arranges for loans and processes salaries, among many other roles. All these activities are at the heart of an institution. The success or failure of accountants is synonymous with the success or failure of an institution,” said Bishop Wainaina.

The bishop has called upon the accountants to be men and women of integrity and ensure that their work is beyond reproach at a time when the country is grappling with the monster of corruption.

“The responsibilities of an accountant call for integrity, transparency and accountability,” said the Bishop. “The accountant must be beyond reproach. Accounting is not a demonstration that this side equals that other side. Rather, it is a clear demonstration of faithfulness to the policies and procedures of an organization and to the accepted financial reporting standards. Accountants need to be loyal and faithful to the policies and standards of the institution where they work.”

Bishop Wainaina decried the high level of corruption in Kenya saying there is urgent need to bring this to a stop.

“The sad thing is that in all the cases before court, the people in charge of finances are always lurking in the shadows or even part of the accused,” he said. “It is good to ask ourselves this question, ‘Would I be comfortable to be visited by the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in my office?’ The only way to address issues of corruption is to live a life of integrity. Even where there are mistakes, integrity will be our first line of defense.”

He hailed the important role that the information technology plays in supporting the work of accountants, saying it has reduced the need for manual systems and rendered the accounting function quicker and more correct.

“Information technology is answering the growing demand for ability to interpret financial information for decision making that is very fast and correct,” he said. “Information technology is an important competence for any accounting office today. As accountants, we must understand well the needs and requirements of the institution and advise on what kind of information system should be put in place.”

He cautioned the accountants against engaging in unnecessary institutional politics, which could derail the achievement of institutional goals and to, instead, embrace teamwork and work in solidarity with other departments.

“Solidarity with other departments is one way of dealing with institutional politics,” said Bishop Wainaina. “As accountants, we must always remember that we are expected to maintain a high level of confidentiality as an ethical demand in the profession and must therefore steer clear of such politics.”

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By Samuel Waweru