Tension Mounts At Gh. Water� Company Torn Between Competence & Tribalism

If there are still any lingering skepticisms about the fact that the Ghana Urban Water Company Limited did not learn any lesson from the expired chemical scandal that rocked the company, an ongoing confusion and tribal war that has hit the water outfit with regards to the choice of chemical supplier to be considered for the year 2014 must dispel such doubts. The company�s journey from one of prestige to ridicule started in the era when top officials refused to see the big picture of competence and instead embraced the evil of TRIBALISM. At GUWL today, national best practices have been sacrificed on the altar of tribal and ethnic sentiments. Aggrieved staffs of GUWL have continually complained about the rate at which competence, capacity and patriotic characters are jettisoned and also the practice of paving way for all sorts of unethical activities, depending on the tribe one belonged to. The New Crusading GUIDE�s sources at GUWL hinted that the ranks of some top officials of the company are sharply divided mainly as a result of an avoidable clash between forces of transparency and that of tribal interests. This paper�s curious observation of unfolding events at GUWL following the expired chemical saga found sufficient evidence to suggest that favouritism occurred in the awarding of certain contracts. Although the company appears to have the appropriate policy framework in place to ensure fair, open and transparent procurement, it seldom follows the procedures, however making way for the tribal monopoly and the incidents of favoured suppliers being awarded juicy contracts. Following the this paper�s publication which blew the lid off a grand scheme that was being orchestrated by some GUWL bosses to get rid of Santa Baron Ventures, a leading water chemical supplier in the country, this paper learnt that the Minister for Water resources Works and Housing, Alhaji Collins Dauda whose desk has been inundated with several reports from the water company, confronted the newly appointed MD of GWCL, Ing Dovlo for some answers. Till date no concrete answers have been offered the Minister, who is frantically fighting to ensure some sanity in the sector , as officials were caught fumbling for answers to his question about why the company had abandoned chemicals at the ports. In the midst of this controversy, the tribalistic GUWL officials have vowed to snatch the chemical contract from Santa Baron Ventures; a company they suspect was introduced into the chemicals business by, Mr. Botwe. Sources say inflammatory rhetoric and irreverent comments has become the handmaiden of angry water officials who simply can�t stand SV�s involvement in the chemical business. �Santa Baron would definitely go with Kweku Botwe. He can�t keep on deceiving everybody with his pricing�, an angry official swore. As if the fight against the company (SV) here in Ghana was not enough, this paper learnt that the aggrieved GUWL officials together with some of Santa Baron�s competitors went to the extent of trying to convince manufacturers of the chemicals to terminate their contract with the former or risk losing huge investment because of SV�s result to supply the chemicals at a relatively cheaper price. Although the PPA is on bent harmonizing the process of procurement in the public service to secure a judicious, economic, and efficient use of public funds amongst other things, this paper has been confidentially informed that GUWL officials are piling up heaps of documents they intend to use against Santa Baron Ventures, should the company try to compete in the process to procure chemicals with it�s relatively low price. As reported earlier by this paper, 4000 tonnes of alum is is stuck at the ports, attracting huge demurrage charges because GUWL official�s resolve to discredit Santa Baron, who won the contract to supply the chemical.