Outspoken veteran journalist, Kwasi Kyei Darkwah, popularly known as KKD, has joined the 'anti ex-gratia payment' campaign.

Former President John Mahama's promise to scrap the ex-gratia when given the presidential mantle again in 2024 has sparked several controversies among many, including the Managing Director of the State Transport Corporation (STC), Nana Akomea, who has challenged the ex-president to stop taking it ahead of the elections.

Speaking on Monday, 29th May during a JoyNews interview on the current state of Ghana's economy and other matters, including Ghana's IMF bailout, KKD jabbed the government to prioritize the needy, not the greedy.

Pension schemes such as SSNIT and other insurance covers are enough to sustain the beneficiaries of the ex-gratia.

"Now I think ex-gratia should be scrapped… We have SSNIT. If you pay into that, depending on your profession and position, you may go home with your full salary; some get less.

"So the people who are already in the highest positions and will go home with perhaps their full salary when they go on pension are the ones who are still looking for more.

"Let's serve the needy, not the greedy, Ghana, listen; serve the needy, not the greedy," the cultural icon fumed.

He took a swipe at "our elders" and some laws, including some provisions of Article 71, which provides ex-gratia for retired government officials.

"We have to question our elders. Not all our elders are brilliant, and we have to accept that now. From the days of slavery until now.

And some of them looked at the exigencies at the time and put certain things into law, but not all laws make sense.

"There was a time when slavery was in law, so are we going to say it was a good law?" he noted.

KKD called ex-gratia "a bad idea" and wants a complete abolishment of it, however, through right constitutional procedures.

"The ex-gratia idea is a bad idea if the people who are taking it would stand up and say, like the former president, Mahama is saying, you know, I will speak to my people and tell them if I'm going to give you an appointment, you must accept that you will not take ex-gratia, and then they would go through the court processes and parliament.

"We need to scrap it, and we need to do that lawfully."

While the 1992 Constitution of Ghana does not explicitly mention the term "ex-gratia," it has become a commonly used phrase to describe the retirement benefits provided to government employees who fall under the scope of Article 71 office holders in the constitution.

Article 71 office holders include the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, and Justices of the Supreme Court.

Additionally, it includes Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers of State, political appointees, and certain public servants whose salaries are funded by the Consolidated Fund and who enjoy special constitutional privileges.

According to Article 71(1) and (2) of the Constitution, the determination of salaries and allowances for the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary, financed by the Consolidated Fund, is the responsibility of the President.

This is made based on the recommendations of a committee, consisting of no more than five individuals appointed by the President and acting upon the advice of the Council of State.