<<Print>>

The Ho Municipal Assembly has allegedly misappropriated GHC5,000.00 meant for equipment and furniture for the Kpenoe Community-Based Health Planning and Service compound, near Ho.

The amount was donated to the community through the Assembly by GOIL Ghana Limited in 2016, following an appeal by the community to help make the CHPS compound functional.

A petition by the Community to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the Assembly member for the area notified the Community that GOIL Ghana Limited responded to their appeal with a donation of GHC5,000.00 in August 2016 through the Assembly.

The petition said the chiefs and opinion leaders of the Community instructed the Assembly member to redeem the cheque from the Assembly for the intended purpose but was unsuccessful.

It said consequently, the community mobilised funds locally to procure the items to make the CHPS zone functional and thereafter made several attempts to retrieve the money to no avail with the Assembly giving one excuse or the other.

Togbe Kotoku XI, Paramount Chief of Kpenoe told the GNA that the Assembly’s delay in releasing the money for the equipment was affecting health delivery in the community with many trekking several kilometres to access healthcare in Ho.

Mr Eric Seyram Bene, Presiding Member for the Assembly said he did not know why the release of the money delayed from 2016 but said the “issues have been cleared” after it got to his knowledge two weeks ago.

“I share in their sentiment but I think the money is ready now,” he stated.