The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has criticised the 2026 compensation budget for the Office of the President, accusing the Mahama-led NDC administration of drastically increasing the salary allocation for workers at the Presidency.
In a Facebook post, the MP argued that the NDC, which heavily criticised the Akufo-Addo government for allocating GH¢327 million as compensation for presidential staff in 2024, has now exceeded those figures by a significant margin within its first year in office.
According to him, the 2026 budget presented by the John Mahama administration allocates GH¢541 million for compensations at the Presidency — an increase of GH¢214 million, representing 65.4% growth compared to what they inherited.
Osei Nyarko stated that in 2024, the NDC created the impression that the Akufo-Addo government had “bloated” the number of presidential staffers and was insensitive to economic hardship. However, he claims the current government has expanded both compensation spending and staffing levels “to ridiculous numbers.”
He questioned how civil society groups and critics who previously condemned the GH¢327 million allocation under Akufo-Addo will now describe the 2026 GH¢541 million budget under President John Dramani Mahama.
The MP also demanded that the government explain why the Office of Government Machinery (OGM) headquarters compensation budget has jumped by 65% within a year.
“Honesty in politics is very important and critical. Time will be the best vindicator,” he wrote.
Source: metrotvonline.com
