“You Can’t Be the Player and the Referee” – Domelevo Slams MPs for Overseeing Their Own GETFund Projects

Former Auditor General Daniel Domelevo has strongly criticized members of Parliament (MPs) for allocating themselves funds from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to undertake and monitor educational projects in their constituencies.

Speaking on TV3 on Thursday, April 4, Mr. Domelevo said that this development softens the constitutional lines between the executive and legislative branches, and he warned that MPs are overstepping their mandate. “The legislature does not have that mandate,” he stressed.

He questioned the logic behind MPs being the same people to execute and oversee projects funded by public money.

“There is something in financial management you refer to as segregation of duties. You don’t become the player, the referee, and the goalkeeper at the same time,” he warned.

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According to him, this dual role overcomes the supervision  of Parliament and makes it impossible for lawmakers to hold the executive accountable when they themselves become implementers.

“If they have taken over now, who is going to oversee what they are doing?” Domelevo asked,”

Domelevo expressed further concern over the duplication of roles, saying that institutions like the Ghana Education Service, the Ministry of Education, and district assemblies already have dedicated monitoring units.

“GETFund has its own project inspection or monitoring and evaluation unit,” he noted.

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This criticism follows a controversial decision by Parliament to allocate GHS 350,000 to each MP from the GETFund to execute and monitor education-related projects in their constituencies.

This is in addition to their share of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF).

Lawmakers defend the move, saying it will enable them to meet the developmental needs of their communities.

However, many have questioned the wisdom of allocating public funds for projects that fall outside MPs’ primary legislative and oversight roles.