The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has warned accountants against using their professional expertise to facilitate corruption, cautioning that their specialised knowledge can make economic crimes difficult to detect and investigate.
"The wickedness that's done by professionals is professionally done. It's not an easy crime for the Commission to crack," EACC Chairperson David Oginde said on Friday, November 13, while addressing delegates at the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) Annual Seminar in Mombasa.
Oginde challenged accountants to uphold integrity in their daily work, warning that their professional responsibilities put them in a position to either safeguard financial accountability or facilitate wrongdoing.
"Integrity is not enforceable - it is a personal choice," he stated, urging professionals to reject opportunities that could compromise their independence and ethical standards.
He cited examples of accountants refusing to manipulate financial figures and auditors standing by uncomfortable findings, saying such decisions demonstrate the integrity expected of members of the profession.
The EACC chairperson also cautioned Kenyans against staying silent when they witness corruption, arguing that failing to speak out lets wrongdoing continue.
"If we keep silent about wrongdoings, then evil will perpetuate," Oginde warned, calling on professionals to demonstrate the courage to confront misconduct regardless of the individuals involved.
