MMDCEs Unpaid for Over 8 Months

The 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies, MMDAs across the country are currently struggling to run the affairs of the Assemblies, due to the delayed payments of its common Fund and the salaries of the MMDCEs from the Administrator of the Common Fund.

The MMDAs, as gathered are not able to operate by undertaking any projects, organize social events, and are unable to continue projects as well or pay internal arrears across the country.

According to some of the MDCEs, especially in the Eastern Region, the only funds that they depend on to run the affairs of the Assemblies are the Internal General Fund, IGF, and the revenues that are been collected in their Municipal and District business being run by the taxpayers.

Some said the issue of the Common fund has been their biggest worry in the past 6 years but have had no one to fight their cause.

One MCE name withheld noted that the administration has been unable to pay their salaries for some months now, as they are struggling to cater for themselves, their families, and even individuals who come to them for assistance.

An MCE in the Eastern Region, who spoke to TML on conditions of anonymity said the situation is becoming very worrying to the extent that sometimes they find it difficult to organize events, adding that when it becomes critical, they have to run to individuals and banks to borrow before.

Another worrying incident is that Assemblies that are unable to generate their IGF to continue some projects are not functioning as their staff and Technocrats do not go to work daily, but rather restore to engage in private business.

About this, the MMDCEs have filed several complaints to the Local Government Minister, Daniel Kwaku Botwe to come to their aid against the Administrator of Common Fund, Irene Naa Torshie over the ways and manners she is handling the disbursements of the Common Fund meant for the Assemblies across the country.

The angry MMDCEs’ reaction follows a complaint by the Local Government Minister, Daniel Kwaku Botwe against Mrs., Naa Torshie following a letter addressed to the President by the Minister detailing some of the activities which in the view of the minister are not in tune with Government strategy and affects the fortunes of the Government.

Mr. Dan Botwe, in the letter, draws the attention of the Administrator of the Common Fund to the fact that her discretionary utilization of the Common Fund without consultation and engagement with other government stakeholders is affecting effective Local Governance in the country.

Thereafter, the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator, Irene Naa Torshie has since unleashed a series of media attacks on the Minister.

According to the MMDCEs, they complain of receiving only GHc250,000 per quarter from the common fund, and yet the Naa Torshie sends a contractor from Accra to come to their districts with single projects worth 4 million.

The MMDCEs recount their anger with the Administrator with the level of disrespect Irene Toshie has shown towards them in her engagement with them.

They claim, Naa Torshie has peddled falsehoods about the operations of the common fund and even sewn enmity between MMDCES and their party executives.

The MMDCEs in a memo, said the Minister is advocating in the interest of the party and government as they are afraid the actions and inactions of Naa Torshie will hurt the government and party if not checked immediately.

Some alleged that the Common Fund Administrator prefers to send GHc250,000 to the assemblies and rather hold the rest of the money in Accra and decide how to utilize it.

They claimed ‘’She calls the MMDCEs and asks them to write and request for specific projects and then she will send a contractor to execute that project at a cost more than how much the assembly is receiving from the fund for the entire 4 years’’.

However, the MMDCEs have vowed to join their Minister in this advocacy in the next few days if things do not improve and are encouraging the Sector Minister, Dan Botwe to not stop but continue to work in the interest of the Government and Party.