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EDUCATION

Kwaekese School Feeding: MP and DCE clash over contract eligibility

The Member of Parliament and the District Chief Executive of the Kwahu Afram Plains North Hon. Betty Krosby Mensah and Samuel Kena respectively have clashed one's again over who has the right to cook for the pupils of Kwaekese Roman Catholic Basic School in the district.

Date Created : 10/13/2018 11:42:39 PM : Story Author : William Dei-Gyau/Ghanadistricts.com

It is gathered that the MP secured a contract in the name of one Comfort Obiyaa Ankomah a caterer to feed the pupils of Kwaekese RC Basic School under the National School feeding program which is to enhance free, quality and accessible for all school going age education in the country from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection early this year.

The introduction of approved caterer letter addressed to the DCE, signed by the then Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba dated 26th January 2018, copied the Regional Minister and the Regional Coordinator sighted by Ghanadistricts.com was to introduce the caterer Mad. Comfort Obiyaa Ankoma as the caterer awarded a contract to cook for the pupils of the Kwaekese R/C Basic School.

"The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is pleased to introduce you to Comfort Obiyaa Ankomah, who has been appointed to provide catering services to the Kwaekese RC Basic School assigned for 2017/2018 academic year", the letter reads.

The letter then tasked the DCE and the Assembly to undertake a routine monitoring after outlining directives to be complied with by the caterer. "Your role as a beneficiary Assembly is to undertake routine monitoring exercise to ensure that caterers comply with these directives".

According to the MP, the District Chief Executive, Samuel Kena is refusing the implementation of the said programme in the school claiming the constituency executives of the New Patriotic Party are not happy with the contract and will not allow any NDC caterer to implement the programme.

"The DCE made those statements to me on a phone discussions when I have called him to ask of the way forward as the 2018/2019 academic year begins in September since the caterer could not start the cooking in January because he the DCE asked us to wait" the MP laments.

Betty Krosby Mensah trying to quote the DCE said, "My NPP people says they don't understand why an NDC sympathizer should be contracted to cook whiles NPP is in government. They are saying you should rather employ the NPP people to do the cooking if not they will not allow your caterer to cook; as the DCE stated in the phone call discussion with me”.

It is gathered that the DCE has since assigned the constituency women organizer of the NPP Mary Owusua to take charge of the catering services of the school even though there is no approval from the school feeding Secretariat to that effect which compelled the MP to join the caterer and her employees to cook for the school children as the eligible caterer with a contract approved letter to cook.

Betty Krosby Mensah then promised to sponsor the current School Feeding Programme ongoing at Kwaekese Roman Catholic Basic School with her common fund should government fail to pay the caterer.

There has been an early clash between supporters of both party, NPP and NDC on this same topic, and has to take the interventions of the police to calm tempers.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the District Chief Executive Samuel Kena has not been fruitful.