The Shama Municipal Assembly in the Western Region has been accused of flouting provisions related to the disbursement and management of the 5 percent common fund for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs).
A chairman of the Disabled Federation in the municipality, James Ateiku, alleges that the Assembly has sidelined representatives of the disabled community on the Disability Fund Management Committee in finalizing the list of beneficiaries for the fund.
The Shama Municipal Assembly was scheduled to disburse funds and other materials to some PwDs on Friday, October 24, 2025. However, this ceremony has been met with skepticism among the targeted beneficiaries, as many are unaware of the status of their applications to the Department of Social Welfare, Shama Municipal Assembly.
James Ateiku states that his request for a copy of the list of beneficiaries has been turned down by the Assembly.
“They claim it is confidential. Since when did the list of PwDs become confidential? This is not how things are done,” he lamented in an interview on Orokodo Kasaebo with Connect 97.1 FM, a Media General’s Takoradi-based radio station.
He accused the Municipal Chief Executive, Otis Dentu, of breaching laid-down procedures in managing the fund. He added that the entire process has been shady.
“They have notified the assembly members to announce in their respective communities to get all PwDs to attend the disbursement ceremony. They announced that those who registered recently are eligible. And if you are not captured on their list, you will have a chance in December.
“Our colleagues are uncertain about this, and so there is a risk that non-eligible persons will be given support. I am the chairman, and yet they have failed to furnish me with the list. What they are doing is shambolic. The MCE and the department aren’t transparent about the process,” he exclaimed.
Mr. Ateiku is threatening to challenge the process to ensure the Assembly does the right thing.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Shama, Paul Otis Dentu in his response however indicates that the Assembly did not have data on PwDs at the time he took office.
He notes that the Assembly had to improvise to get eligible persons supported through the Disability Fund, adding that any further delays in disbursing the funds could have an undesired consequence for PwDs.
“Honestly speaking, when I assumed office, I realized that the department [Social Welfare Department] doesn’t have the data for the total number of people living with disabilities within the district.
“So, we have started compiling the list…but even as we do that, we still have to disburse this fund. So, we just deployed our men through the Social Welfare and the leadership of people living with disability to get people to apply. So, after the application, I think they sat on it and selected some of them. We are going to do this in batches… we cannot allow the money to sit in the account while they suffer,” he explained.
