Waste managing contractors in Kumasi are up in arms against the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly after the latter’s failure to pay them for collecting waste from houses in the Asowase and other sub-metros for years.
Waste management is a major public health challenge in Ghana. Just Kumasi and Accra generate more than 4,000 tonnes of waste daily.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly spends 720,000 cedis on a monthly average for the collection and disposal of waste. The figure far exceeds the assembly’s budget which is dependent on the government.
The assembly at the moment owes some of the small-scale waste collection contractors to the tune of 5.5 million cedis, being outstanding bills.
Information gathered from the assembly indicates that court garnishee orders have taken a chunk of the assembly’s financial resources from almost all its bank accounts between 2015 and July 2016 in the name of judgment debts in favour of Messrs Sarpso Construction Limited. The company is said to have constructed market stalls in 1994 and was not paid by the KMA.
Others include Messrs Freko FD Enterprise Limited, and Osborn Limited, for sanitation services provided between 2007 and 2012.
Sarpso construction limited has so far had 976,120.62 cedis taken from the assembly’s accounts and Freko FD Enterprise Limited getting 258,897.00 cedis on the orders of the court.
Speaking in an interview with TV3, chief executive officer of Osborn Enterprise Limited, Madam Juliana Osei Bonsu, who also serves as the spokesperson of the group, threatened to sue KMA.
She said the KMA owed her company alone to the tune of 2 million cedis and this has crippled her business and her bankers are also chasing her for their money.
She said the amount has been outstanding for ten years.
Although a High Court had ordered the KMA as far back in August 2015 to pay them, KMA is yet to comply with the order.
She indicated that, her company had secured an execution order from the court to attach properties of the assembly but had to hold on because of the intervention by some prominent personalities.
According to her, KMA has not shown good faith and they could be heading to the court again.
But KMA coordinating director, Atta Wogye assured them of prompt payment as they have started paying others.
He was aware of the court order to three companies for the seizure and sale of KMA’s movable and immovable properties to settle the said judgment debts.
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