The Procure department is charged with the responsibility of acquiring, safeguarding and disposingtemporal goods of the Church. To exercise this mandate, the department has full time personnel andconsultative body (Finance Council) appointed by the Local Ordinary and chaired by him.
The Finance Council is a structure of the diocesan curia that is provided for by the Code of Canon Law (C. 492§1). The code details the expectations of the Finance Council, defining those areas wherethe intervention of the council is mandatory and where a conscientious Council would look upon it as a duty to provide guidance.
The spirit of the code as far as financial matters of the diocese are concerned, can be summarized in two words: collegiality and professionalism. Collegiality encourages the use of different people with different experiences and expertise in order to arrive at the best decisions. Professionalism implies that the composition of the Council and the quality of deliberations and the decisions of the Council should demonstrate the highest standards possible. It implies also that best practice is adopted in the
way the Finance Council goes about its affairs.
The Finance Council has no administrative role in the management of the temporal goods of the Church. In specific cases the Archbishop may assign an administrative function to the Finance Council but this will always be in writing and will be limited to the specific case for which that role is conferred.
The duties and obligations of the Finance Council may be divided into four general categories:
The code envisages that the Finance Council of the diocese should be duplicated at the parish level. What is true for the diocese is true for the parish and the large benefits that an effective finance council can bring to the diocese should also be enjoyed by the parishes.
The department issues purchase orders, develops term contracts, and acquires supplies and services. One role of the office is to procure all necessary materials needed for daily operations of the Archdiocese. The procure department is further categorized into sub departments that report directly to the Procurator as follows:
a) The Accounts Office
This provides accounting services and financial support to the Archdiocese of Nairobi. The office records accounts payable and receivable, inventory, payroll, fixed assets and all other financial elements. The department’s accountants review the records of each department to determine the Archdiocesan financial position and any changes required to run the Archdiocese cost effectively. The office is also in charge of procuring assets for the Archdiocese of Nairobi. In procuring it follows all the regulations and policies within its mandate and scope.
The department is also charged with the safe custody of the assets, record keeping of all the assets, insurances and depreciations according to the set institutional policies and within the governing laws.
In regard to the disposal of assets, the office is involved in this process from its initiation to its completion.
All accountants report directly to the procurator and in his absence to the assistant procurator. The protocol for the accountants is to first give a report to the senior accountant who refines the reports appropriately and then submits them to the procurator.
b) Archdiocesan Archives
The collection of documents in the Archdiocesan Archives gives a detailed record of the founding, growth and development of the Archdiocese of Nairobi. The records date from 1862 to date with regard to the history of the Archdiocese.
The records in this collection are made up of several types of formats including documentary (papers), photographic and audiovisual. The documentary holdings include records such as parish official records, administrative records, legal documents, sermons and publications. The photographic holdings include very few color photographs while the audio/visual collection has audio cassettes and
video tapes.
c) Human Resource
The Human Resource Office began its operations in the year 2014 with the aim of ensuring that the Archdiocese attracts and maintains the best human capital, the only industry can have. It is charged with the responsibility of developing policies and coordinating staff recruitment process. The office serves as a link between management and employees by handling questions and any other related matter. It carries out day-to-day personnel administration on leaves, communications and other staff related records. The office also reviews the work culture and environment and develops approaches that support teamwork and increased staff motivation.
The goal of the Human Resource office is to support all the staff members as it attracts and retains a talented and diverse workforce to enable all departments efficiently meet their objectives.