An audit conducted at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) has revealed worrying discrepancies in staff records, with 23 employees reported missing and 84 listed as unknown on the payroll.

Appearing before Parliament’s Local Government Committee, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Frank Amoakohene, attributed the anomalies to staff transfers and administrative delays.

He explained that when officers are posted to new stations, their names sometimes remain in the records of their former departments, causing gaps in validation between the two entities.

Dr Amoakohene, however, dismissed suggestions that these irregularities indicate the existence of ghost names or instances of double salaries.

“Before you are paid your salary, we have to validate you to make sure that you belong to the entity where your name reflects and where you are serving,” he explained.

“So if you are declared missing, it means that your name is not found in the entity. However, you are working there. The negative is that you don’t get paid.

“If you are declared unknown, it means your name is on the PV and you are expected to receive salary. But because you are not validated, owing to the fact that you don’t work there any longer, your salary will still not come unless you are validated at your new station.”

He assured the committee that measures are being put in place to tighten staff validation processes and ensure a more reliable payroll system across the region.

The regional minister also disclosed that several RCC vehicles were operating without valid roadworthy and insurance certificates, following incomplete handovers from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.

He said the issue came to light after an audit query, prompting immediate steps to retrieve the missing documents from the ministry and regularise the affected vehicles.

“Definitely, we cannot be driving with vehicles without these certificates,” Dr Amoakohene said.

“The challenge we are confronted was the fact that that the cars were handed over to us by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs. Unfortunately, when the handing over was being done, the accompanying car documents did not get to the RCC.

“So it was difficult to get to the DVLA, and we get them to renew their roadworthy certificates and insurance accordingly. Following the audit query and initial intervention of the RCC, letters have been sent to the Ministry. We are still hoping to get the documents from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs. While that is done, we should be able to avoid some of these audit queries.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejura Sekyedumase, Rafiu Adam Seidu, also told the committee that the assembly had terminated sanitation contracts previously handled by Zoomlion Ghana Limited due to poor supervision and delays in payments to sweepers.

Mr Seidu said the sweeping component will now be given to a local contractor to improve monitoring and efficiency.

“With the sweepers, we are taking it away from Zoomlion. We give it to a different contractor at the local level to do the project for us,” he explained.

“With Zoomlion, monitoring the sweepers is a problem. It’s ineffective, and the payment system is very bad. Because of that, some come to work, some don’t. They owe so many people and can’t fulfil their obligations.

“So if we take it from them and give it to local people which is at our door step , we can monitor them closely and ensure they are paid adequately to do their work well.”

Mr Seidu added that his long experience as both an assembly member and presiding member helped him understand Zoomlion’s weaknesses, which he hopes to address through the new arrangement.

“I’ve been an assembly member and a presiding member. I’ve mingled with Zoomlion and seen their shortfalls and strengths. We are going to build on their shortfalls and improve it. If we can correct those gaps, we can achieve better sanitation,” he said.