INSTITUTE of Certified Public Accountants has asked former Uchumi CEO Jonathan Ciano to step down as its disciplinary committee chairman over graft allegations.
In a statement signed by Icpak chief executive Patrick Ngumi, the institute wants Ciano-who was sacked from Uchumi on June 15 last year - to step down as chairman of the seven-member disciplinary committee due to conflict of interest. The team is appointed by Cabinet secretary for Treasury who then publishes the members' names in the Kenya Gazette. It is tasked with hearing complaints based on ethics and integrity regarding the institute's members.
"Upon receipt of complaints on allegations of gross misconduct, the chairman of the Institute's Disciplinary Committee is henceforth conflicted and in the public interest and in the interest of the accountancy profession, the Council of the Institute has resolved and called for the chairman of disciplinary committee to step aside as investigations are concluded," said Ngumi in the statement.
Ciano, who was appointed to the committee in January 2014, has one year left before his tenure ends.
Icpak's disciplinary committee came under criticism from some of the institute's members and the Capital Markets Authority over its handling of the investigation's into the conduct of Deloitte in the CMC Motors' financial scandal case in 2012.
The committee slapped a fine on CMC's former financial director Sobakchand Shah but let Deloitte off the hook. Last month, the CMA filed an appeal at the High Court seeking to disregard the committee's ruling on the matter. Deloitte has also recently been in the spotlight over accounting irregularities at Mumias Sugar.