Prisons Officers protest unpaid rent allowances, cite breach of law and hardship

Officers of the Ghana Prisons Service have formally petitioned authorities over the continued non-payment of rent allowance arrears, warning that the situation violates public service regulations and is inflicting severe financial strain on personnel.

In a petition dated January 1, 2026, Prisons Advocate Abdulai Baba Bukari disclosed that officers were not paid rent allowances for three consecutive quarters in 2025, covering April to December, with the outstanding sums now rolling over into 2026. He further revealed that his own allowance for the last quarter of 2024 also remains unpaid.

The petition stresses that rent allowance is not discretionary but a statutory entitlement, grounded in the Ghana Prisons Service Act, the Service’s Conditions of Service, the 1992 Constitution, and the Labour Act. Where official accommodation is unavailable, the allowance must be paid monthly, the petition insists.

It further describes the current quarterly payment system as unlawful, noting that no legislative instrument authorises such an arrangement. Even under this irregular system, the failure to make payments has, according to the petition, deepened the legal breach and raised serious questions about compliance with the Public Financial Management Act.

The non-payment, officers say, has resulted in mounting debts, personal hardship, declining morale, and growing distrust in the leadership of the Service.

The petition therefore demands:

• Immediate payment of all rent allowance arrears from October 2024 to December 2025


• Restoration of monthly payments in line with the law


• Clear timelines and safeguards to prevent future delays


• Accountability measures for officials responsible for the alleged breaches

Read the full statement below:

RE: FORMAL PETITION ON PERSISTENT NON-PAYMENT AND UNLAWFUL ADMINISTRATION OF RENT ALLOWANCE (WITH LEGAL AUTHORITIES)

I respectfully submit this petition to formally complain about the persistent non-payment, accumulation of arrears, and unlawful administrative handling of rent allowance and other related allowances for officers of the Ghana Prisons Service, contrary to established law and public service regulations.

1. BACKGROUND AND CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
   Officers of the Ghana Prisons Service have not received three (3) full quarters of rent allowance for the year 2025, namely:
   SECOND QUARTER 2025: April, May, June
   THIRD QUARTER 2025: July, August, September
   FOURTH QUARTER 2025: October, November, December
   For the first time in the history of the Service, rent allowance due for an entire calendar year (2025) has been carried forward into 2026, while the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, March) has already commenced without settlement of these arrears.
   Additionally, I was personally not paid rent allowance for the last quarter of 2024 (October, November, December), extending the arrears across multiple financial years.


2. STATUTORY AND REGULATORY BASIS FOR RENT ALLOWANCE
   The payment of rent allowance to officers of the Ghana Prisons Service is not discretionary but MANDATORY. It is grounded in law and regulation, including:
   Ghana Prisons Service Act, 1972 (NRCD 46)
   Establishes the Service and mandates the State to provide for the conditions of service and welfare of prison officers through regulations and approved schemes.
   Conditions of Service / Regulations for the Ghana Prisons Service (as approved by the appropriate authority in constitutional instrument (CI 92)
   Provide that each officer is entitled to rent allowance equivalent to twenty percent (20%) of the officer’s basic salary, payable MONTHLY where official accommodation is not provided.
   1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana – Article 24(1)
   Guarantees the right to fair and reasonable remuneration and conditions of work for every worker.
   Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)
   Section 68: Requires employers, including the State, to pay wages and allowances when they fall due.
   Section 69: Prohibits unjustified withholding of remuneration lawfully earned.


3. ILLEGALITY OF THE QUARTERLY PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT
   Despite the clear statutory and regulatory requirement that rent allowance be paid MONTHLY, the Administration adopted a quarterly payment system, for which no known legal instrument, regulation, or legislative amendment exists.
   Under Ghanaian administrative law:
   An administrative body CANNOT amend, vary, or suspend a statutory entitlement by internal policy or practice.
   Any action taken without lawful authority is ultra vires and void.
   The quarterly payment arrangement therefore stands in direct conflict with the regulations governing rent allowance payment.


4. COMPOUNDING BREACH: FAILURE EVEN UNDER THE UNLAWFUL QUARTERLY SYSTEM OF PAYMENT
   More troubling is the fact that even this unlawful quarterly system has not been enforced with promptness or consistency. Instead:
   Arrears have accumulated without explanation.
   Payments have been deferred across financial years.
   No justifiable financial, legal, or administrative basis has been communicated to officers.
   THIS CONSTITUTES A DOUBLE BREACH:
   BREACH of the law mandating monthly payment; and
   BREACH of administrative duty by failing to honour even the improper quarterly schedule adopted by the Administration as against or contrary to the law established.


5. PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY CONCERNS.
   The continued accumulation of arrears raises serious concerns under the:
   Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921)
   Section 21 & 23: Require prudent financial management and timely settlement of government obligations especially when due.
   Persistent arrears indicate weak expenditure control and non-compliance with financial discipline obligations.
   Failure to pay lawful entitlements while allowing arrears to roll over annually undermines fiscal transparency and accountability integrity of the service


6. IMPACT ON OFFICERS AND INSTITUTIONAL INTEGRITY
   Rent is a monthly obligation borne personally by officers. The failure to pay rent allowance as required by law:
   Defeats the purpose of the allowance.
   Causes avoidable financial hardship.
   Undermines morale, dignity, and confidence in leadership.
   Projects an image of institutional disregard for statutory welfare obligations.


7. Reliefs Sought
   I respectfully request:
   Immediate payment of rent allowance last quarter 2024( October, November, December)
   Immediate payment of all outstanding rent allowance arrears from April 2025 to December 2025
   A written explanation identifying the legal authority (if any) for the quarterly payment practice.
   Immediate restoration of monthly payment in strict compliance with governing regulations.
   Clear timelines and safeguards to prevent recurrence.
   Appropriate administrative and financial accountability where breaches of law are established.


8. CONCLUSION
   Officers of the Ghana Prisons Service are entitled to lawful, timely, and fair treatment. The current situation reflects not progress, but a serious breakdown in statutory compliance and administrative responsibility.
   I trust that this petition will receive urgent consideration in the interest of legality, accountability, and institutional integrity.