'Kantakofri claimed underserved compensation'

An opinion leader representing concerned citizens of Kete Krachi, Alhaji Abu Sufiyanu Baba, on Monday revealed to the Judgment Debt Commission that, Kantakofri, the supposed town for which a compensation sum of GH¢983,116.97 was paid to the Krachiwura (overlord of Krachi) over claims that their lands were flooded, was not accurate.

Instead he noted that Kete was the town that was submerged by the flood but it never received any compensation from the state and described the situation as unfair.

He said: “We the people of Kete whose lands were submerged never received any money, but the community which has never been flooded has been paid compensation”

Alhaji Abu Sufiyanu Baba told the Commission that, if anything at all, it was his community, Kete, which was flooded and relocated, and needed to be compensated, but not Kantakofri.

He said emphatically that, Kantakofri was on a high land and was never submerged and that the community still existed at the same place, “they never resettled so if anything we had to be compensated”.

He explained that, Kete Krachi consisted of three communities, Krachi, Kantakofri and Kete, which was a commercial community amongst them.

He said the Kete people lost about two square miles of lands during the flooding and had the biggest size of land lost, among all the affected communities, but the land resettled on was not up to what they lost.

When asked by the Counsel for the Commission, Dometi Kofi Sorkpor as to whether the people of Kete ever put in any claim and also if he was aware that, one Nana Asetina Mensah valued all Krachi lands and presented it for compensation and was subsequently approved. He answered in the negative that, his people had no idea about it and never consulted anybody.

He lamented that, recently their resettled land, which the government bought and paid for, have also been sold.

He admitted that lands which were purchased by the government had been sold by the Krachiwura and the case was pending before a Magistrate court in Krachi.

He pleaded to the Commission that, for the government and direct the Lands Commission to come back to demarcated again.

He observed their plight as a clear discrimination because each household were supposed to be allocated three acres but have still not received it as documented by Executive Instrument 78 of 1973. However, communities like Ahiamakyene had received their portion for farmlands.

Alhaji Abu Sufiyanu Baba also insisted that, Krachi lands were not owned by families but a stool land contrary to what the Krachiwura submitted to the Commission.

He also presented documents of arbitration where the Krachiwura himself admitted that, all Krachi lands are stool lands.

In other matters, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Gander and Social Protection, Valentine Kuzumi, had Petition the Judgment Debt for the none payment of his medical bills since he retired in December 2009.

Appearing before the Commission in respect of the matter, the Deputy Controller and Accountant General, Anthony Kingsley Kuffei and the Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, Eric Kwesi Amo Himeson, admitted that they were aware.

However, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, Mr. Kumuzi had petitioned because he has been in constant deliberation on how to pay hm.

He admitted that, the ministry was currently financially handicapped and Mr. Kumuzi was aware because it has been discussed with him.

Mr. Himeson added that, in 2013, his outfit received only one budgetary allocation instead of the usually quarterly payment and assured that, he would do everything to offset the debt.