District Chief Executives (DCEs) who have not been paid their salaries for the past eight months are going through terrible experiences and encountering embarrassing situations, which are fast dwindling their reputation in their respective districts.

Information available to newsmen indicates that as a result of the inability of the government to pay their salaries, some DCEs, including Metropolitan and Municipal Chief Executives, have had brushes with their wives over what is referred to in Ghanaian parlance as ?chop money' (housekeeping money), while some of them have had their wards sacked from school, due to their indebtedness in respect of school fees.

This was witnessed last Friday, a quarrel between a DCE and his wife on phone over the former's inability to leave the wife ?chop money,' which forced the wife to take part of somebody's money that was given other to be given to the husband. "But you why did you decided to take somebody's money which has been sent to me to be given to him," the DCE asked the wife angrily and after some exchanges banged the call on her.

"You see the problems we are facing as a result of the fact that we have not been paid for the past eight months," he stated in a troubled tone, which momentarily threw this reporter into a situation of mixed feelings of whether it is a blessing to be appointed to such a position or a curse.

But for some DCEs, what is even worse is that the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), is also in arrears since January 2005. Meaning that projects are also at a standstill in the districts. "This," one DCE told the Independent "is killing us, but our people who do not know and understand us keep coming to us and still expect to get money from us."

Another DCE from the Ashanti Region told newsmen that "everything has gone haywire, things are in disarray, we are not able to make ends meet, especially taking care of the household. Our wives are now in full control of the house, he said.