A/R: Sekyere East DCE Denies Embezzling School Feeding Program Funds

Mary Boatemaa Marfo

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere East in the Ashanti Region, Mary Boatemaa Marfo has denied allegations suggesting that she has embezzled huge sums of money from the Ghana School Feeding Program Secretariat.

According to her, she has not engaged directly or indirectly in any malfeasance by taking money from school feeding Secretariat to fictitious schools, bloating enrollment figures and creating non-existing schools in the payment file.

Reacting to the claims, however, the DCE has denied all the allegations whiles describing them as “petty and smear campaign” aimed at destroying her.

She added that somewhere last year the National School Feeding Secretariat, detected some anomalies within the Sekyere East district of the Ashanti region, which the MP has taken advantage of the saga to link the DCE to which she did not commit any crime on the issue which has been resolved already.

Mrs. Mary Boatemaa Marfo, said, barely a couple of weeks ago the MP, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie met some polling station officers and told them he will make sure madam Mary Boatemaa Marfo is removed from office before seeking re-election in the upcoming NPP parliamentary primaries.

“The current mainstream media and social media bashings and accusations of financial malfeasance leave me with no option than to state the facts for the avoidance of doubt or mischief”, she stated.

In addition, the Ghana School feeding Secretariat noticed some anomalies in the data received from the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region, that; schools have been duplicated, enrollment figures inflated and names of non-existing caterers have been presented for payment.

As a result, the National Coordinator of the GSFP, dispatched a two-member team led by the Deputy Director in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation for Ashanti Region to Sekyere East District to investigate the issues.

The team is said to have spoken to some key stakeholders in the district so the said issue has been resolved amicably.

“I was aback when my attention was drawn to the circulation of a purported reportage accusing me of financial impropriety in the media and on social media platforms,” she said.

She insisted, the member of Parliament for the Effiduase Asokore constituency, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie has marshal forces within the Sekyere East district which is affecting the administration of the Nana Akufo Addo led NPP government.

According to the DCE, the MP has seriously connived with the presiding member of the Assembly, Mr. Emmanuel Agyei Baafi, who also doubles as the Assembly member for the Ntunkumso electoral area, jumping from one radio station to the other, tarnishing the image of her for committing no crime.

She revealed, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie who has declared in the constituency that he will make sure Nana Addo's administration will be a difficult one is hiding behind the presiding member, Mr. Emmanuel Agyei Baafi to work against the DCE, Madam Mary Boatemaa Marfo.

The DCE stated the MP met a top morning show host in Accra based radio station in a hotel in Accra where he gave the presenter huge sums of monies to tarnish the image of the DCE.

The DCE is credited with bringing a number of developmental projects to the district including three-unit school block at Okaikrom a 20-seater Aqua privy toilet.

Traditional rulers, as well as civil society organizations within the Sekyere east district, have hailed the DCE for being development oriented.

She has received the full backing of the Queen mothers and they are working together to develop the Sekyere East district.