Kojo Bonsu accused of massive looting at KMA

Former Chief Executive officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly {KMA}, Mr. Kojo Bonsu has been accused of overseeing massive looting at the KMA.

He is said to have unilaterally supervised the administrative and executive functions of KMA over the past one and half years before his resignation in July this year.

Mr. Bonsu's accuser, Nana Kofi Senyah, the immediate past presiding member of KMA , who is also the Assemblyman Suame electoral area has called for a probe into the administration of Mr. Bonsu.

Nana Senyah has explained that huge sums of monies have been siphoned from various sources of funding including Internally Generated funds { IGF}, District Assembly Common Fund {DACF}, Urban Development Grant {UDG} and District Development Fund {DDF}. under the watch of Mr. Bonsu as a result of lapses in the financial administration of the KMA at a time the assembly was not properly constituted.

He said the former KMA boss considered the KMA as a gold mine and a conduit pipe to siphon monies approved by the Assembly's Action Plans over the years.

The former Presiding Member, revealed that an amount of GHc8,000,000.00 has been earmarked in the 2016 Action plan from the Urban Development Grant {UDG} for the redesigning of the Post Office Square -Ministry's Gardens at the Harper Road enclave at Adum in Kumasi under an Urban Regeneration Phase I project and that even though consultancy fees have been paid nothing has been done nine months into the year.

He also pointed to a GHc1 million Greening Kumasi Project launched between March 2014 and 2015 by the KMA launched under which one million trees were to be planted along driveways, open spaces and in some selected school compounds by 2017 yet no trees s can be found along the Anloga-Asokwa interchange driveways through Santasi, Bebre-Anloga junction, Anloga-Airport roundabout, Tafo-Krofrom, Kumasi-Pakyi Road, Kwadaso Sunyani Road, Suame-Breman and Abrepo-Barekese throwing GHc105,000.00 approved metro wide for the exercise in both the 2015 and 2016 Action Plans of the Assembly.

Referring to the 2016 Action plan, Nana Senyah said the Transport Department of the KMA was resourced with GHc7,100,000.00 to construct three bus Terminals along three of the arterial routes at Kwadaso, Anwomaso and Chirapatre entering Kumasi two of which projects {the Kwadaso and Anwomaso Bus Terminals} had earlier be approved in the 2015 Plan for construction at GHc2,050,000.00 each from the UDG.

Nana Senyah also revealed that the Assembly fixed GHc100,000.00 for the procurement of consultancy services for the supervision and management of the controversial Rattray Park which cost the KMA US$4.4 million instead of the approved GHc401,000.00.

The Rattray Park project was also allocated GHc100,000.00 to execute regular operation and maintenance from the Assembly's IGF.

According to Nana Senyah, a total of GHc5,800.000.00 was allocated for UDG III prioritized projects which included the construction of drainage on Akwatialine-Aboabo River {WAEC-Aboabo station area}, the construction of a drain at Danyame area near Miklin Hotel at GHc2,000,000.00 each and the provision of Street Lights metro wide at GHc1,800,000.00 in replacement of the Kumasi Airport Terminal.

Nana Kofi Senyah said the non implementation of such projects approved by the Assembly and for which funds had been provided smacks of misappropriation and called for serious investigations into the financial administration of the former KMA boss.

According to Nana Senyah, the KMA would go to court to seek redress as soon as it is well composed.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bonsu has defended that there is no financial wrong doing regarding the $4.4 million reportedly expended on the Rattray Park recreational facility in Kumasi and explained that the fact that the Assembly's estimated budgetary allocation for the Rattray Park project were exceeded does not warrant the allegations of financial maladministration. He said that the practice of exceeding budgetary allocations in executing projects is a normal practice in most public institutions including the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) provided the necessary laid down procedure in expending such additional resources are followed.

Mr. Bonsu explained further that the Assembly's exceeded expenditure in the execution of the project in variations in the prices of some equipment which he claimed were mostly imported.

He emphasized that the Assembly also followed the Procurement Act, Financial Administrations Act and all due process of law in expending those resources and that all the excesses incurred on the recreational facility would be audited by both the Internal Audit Unit of the KMA and the Auditor General in line with the laws of the land.