Vote of no confidence passed on K-Poly rector

The Kumasi Polytechnic branch of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) has passed a vote of no confidence in the Rector of the institution, Dr B.E.K. Prah, accusing him of maladministration, corruption and incompetence.

At a news conference in Kumasi Thursday, the association called on the authorities not to extend the rector's term of office when it expired on December 3, 2009, warning that it would use all available means at its disposal to make work uncomfortable for him if his term was extended.

The K'Poly branch Chairman of POTAG, Mr S. Abu-Frimpong, who read the nine-point allegation against the rector at the news conference, alleged that Dr Prah awarded a contract on the assembling of computers to his nephew, one Andrew Prah, based in the US, for a fee of $19,000 without recourse to tender procedure.

He said in spite of his failure to go strictly according to the procurement procedure, Dr Prah made sure that the polytechnic paid for his nephew's air ticket to and from Ghana.

Mr Abu-Frimpong further alleged that although the previous Finance Officer of the polytechnic retired in September 2009, a three-year annual leave had been commuted into cash of GH¢11,000 and paid to him and wondered why the rector had allowed the "illegal money" to be paid to the man.

He said Dr Prah had also failed to account for fees running into tens of thousands of Ghana cedis collected from non-HND programmes being run by the polytechnic.

The rector has denied the allegations.