Members of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) have threatened to resist any attempts to confirm any nominee as Chief Executive until the central government pays off the Assembly’s outstanding debts.
As at 31st December, 2016, KMA’s financial liabilities stood at GH¢119,213,333.22 as captured in sessional address on 11th and 12th May, 2017 by the then Mayor, Osei-Asibey Antwi.
In a spate of 4 years, the KMA owes its contractors and business allies over GH¢50 million, a situation that forced the Assembly to send SOS to central government for bailouts.
According to the 2020 Auditor General’s report, KMA used the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) committed sum of GH¢670,720.78 to pay judgment debt to some four contractors. The Auditor General recommended the Assembly to refund the penalty paid from the Assembly’s Internal Generated Funds (IGF) into the DACF.
Speaking on Akoma FM‘s current affairs and political show GhanAkoma Thursday, August 26, the Presiding Member of KMA, Stephen Ofori, lamented that “it will take the Assembly more than 10 years to pay it’s debt if they are to rely on the IGF”.
Mr Ofori later appealed to the Finance Ministry via the Local Government Ministry to come to the Assembly’s aid in paying up the debts.
He told host of the show Aduanaba Kofi Asante Ennin that “now KMA’s territory has been reduced due to the creation of the new Assemblies but the time the debt was compounding, all those newly created Assemblies were submetros to the Assembly but when they were weaned from KMA, their debts remained so that’s why we are still trying to wrap our heads around ways to generate funds to pay off the debt”.
The KMA Presiding Member later disclosed that “due to financial liabilities the Assembly finds itself and the posture of central government on bailing them out despite several calls and appeals, the Assembly members at KMA have resolved to resist any attempts to confirm any nominee as Mayor until central government pays off our outstanding debts”.
By Nana Asenso Mensah|Akoma FM|editors.3news.com|Ghana
