Kojo Bonsu abandons official bungalow

Some members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly are angry about the chief executive’s refusal to stay in his official residence.

Mayor Kojo Bonsu has been occupying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guest House in Kumasi while the assembly spends money to maintain the abandoned house.

The assembly members are pushing for a vote of no confidence in him for this and other alleged breaches of the law.

Since his appointment in March 2013, Mr. Bonsu has stayed in a Ministry of Foreign Affairs bungalow which is less than 50 meters away from the KMA’s official residence at Nhyieaso. The three-bedroom apartment accommodated his predecessors like Patricia Appiagyei and current Regional Minister, Samuel Sarpong.

Angry members of the assembly have petitioned the Presiding Member, Nana Kofi Senya, to call an emergency meeting for the impeachment of the Mayor for what they say are disrespect and abuse of office. The Mayor’s refusal to relocate into his official residence is among a list of charges leveled against him by 47 assembly members.

Member for Ridge-Nhyiaeso, Abraham Boadi, who is leading the charge against Mr. Bonsu, insists the assembly has spent funds to renovate the Chief Executive’s residence.

He claims 95,000 out of 110,000 Ghana cedis voted in the 2013/2014 budget has already been spent to renovate the residence.

According to him, several appeals to the mayor to move into the official bungalow have failed.“We’ve complained even on the floor of the assembly several times. We’ve advised the Chief Executive to go to the residence of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly because it is disrespect to the assembly for the Chief Executive to live in a building 50-metres away from the residence of the Chief Executive. We spent a certain amount of money to do renovation because of the new Chief Executive and we are not using it,” Mr. Boadi explained.

But spokesperson for the mayor, Sammy Gyamfi, said he would not move into the residence because his priority was not to immediately furnish it.

He insists the facility requires renovation and furnishing and, as his spokesperson puts it, ‘little work’ at the kitchen as well as living and bedrooms.“Security was an issue. Now that matter has been resolved. There are still some issues to do with the kitchen and one of the bedrooms; not much would be done to the living room because the tiles are still in shape but a couple of curtains, maybe the change of the coatings of the furniture there and other facilities”, Mr Gyamfi said.

According to Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, the mayor prioritizes the needs of residents more than his personal comfort.

He dismissed claims by the assembly members that the place has been renovated, though he concedes the walls were white-washed and wire-fencing erected.

“It has got to do with the Mayor and what his priorities are. He as a leader had to make the decision; 'do I use these scarce resources of the assembly to buy new LCD screen, new wardrobes and beds and all that into my apartment for the sake of my comfort whilst there was an alternative that I can improvise' with so that at the appropriate time that thing be done". A visit to the KMA mayor’s official residence by Nhyira News, however, revealed no major work has taken place on the apartment which looks habitable, without any renovation.

Two assembly security guards man the gate while stewards and house-keepers work around to keep the house in order.

A portion of the landscape compound appear weedy with climbing shrubs taken over the entrance of the tennis court.

A gas cooker in the kitchen is calling for replacement because of its rusty nature whilst cabinets also need refurbishment.

But there is little work to be done in the bedrooms which either need a bed or new set of furniture and television sets at the main living room which is currently stocked with old leather furniture.