MP fights DCE in Parliament over GH?45,000 Common Fund cash

Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima Mponua, Isaac Asiamah, is at loggerheads with the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Stephen Yeboah, over delays in releasing an amount of GH?45,000 being outstanding payment of his share of the Common Fund.

The amount is part of second quarter payments released to the Assemblies by the District Assemblies Common Fund Administrator for projects to be directed by the legislators.

Asiamah who was worried about the development had sought refuge in the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho, to summon the Minister responsible for Local Government to appear before the August House to clarify the issue.

The Atwima Mponua legislator had wanted him to respond to what had occasioned the “delay by the DCE for the area in giving effect to the request by the MP for Atwima Mponua constituency for his share of the Common Fund to be disbursed for his stated purpose and when it will be disbursed”.

At a sitting on Wednesday, October 19, 2016, Hon Collins Dauda, Minister for Local Government &Rural Development, told the House that per records submitted to his office by the DCE for Atwima Mponua District, there is no outstanding payment to be made to the honourable MP.

“Mr. Speaker, there is no outstanding payment to be made to the Hon. Member so far as our records are concerned. In the first quarter of this year, a total amount of GH?73,938.31 was released to him by the District Assembly Common Fund. Out of this amount, the District Assembly Common Fund paid GH?15,098.31 to Conpa Enterprise and GH?58,840.00 paid to Premium World.”

“In the Second Quarter, an amount of GH?56,102.07 was released and this amount was also paid to Lexmall by the District Assembly Common Fund,” he noted.

But Asiamah insists the DCE still has GHC45, 000 locked up in the Assemblies accounts which he has refused to disburse for his stated purpose.

He further told the House that several letters he wrote the DCE demanding for the outstanding payment has not yielded any result.

“The DCE wrote to me that I have forged his signature and that he was not going to respond to the letters,” he stated.

Collins Dauda, commenting further on the issue pleaded with the Speaker to indulge him to have a meeting with the two factions, Asiamah and Yeboah, to enable him bring the matter to an end.

Speaker Adjaho was equally not happy about the development told the sector Minister that the issue could easily be resolved by cross-checking from the offices of the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund.

“From the Common Fund Administrator, you will know how much hs been disbursed to the District. You could also know how much has been disbursed to the MP through the District Assemblies Common Fund and also how much the district has disbursed to the MP”, he noted.

He then directed Asiamah to make copies of his written letters addressed to the Assembly over the issue to the Minister through the Table Office for him (Minister) to act on it and submit his reponse to Parliament through the Clerk before Wednesday, October 26, 2016.

The District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) is a pool of resources created under Article 252 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana.

It is a minimum of 7.5% of the national revenue set aside to be shared among all District Assemblies in Ghana with a formula approved by Parliament.

The fund is a Development Fund which enables the use of the nation’s wealth throughout Ghana to the benefit of all citizens.

Part of the Fund is disbursed directly to District Assemblies in accordance with the approved Formula. This is referred to as ‘direct transfers.

The MMDAs use the funds for projects and programmes determined by their respective Assemblies.

Also about four percent of the Fund is shared to Members of Parliament for constituency project, one and half percent is shared among the 10 Regional Co-ordinating Councils for supervision of the Assemblies in their respective Regions while two percent is reserved to meet contingency expenditures.