The Kumasi Mayor, Mr.Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, has given a two-week ultimatum to traders operating along pavements within the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi to vacate the area as a matter of urgency or risk facing sanctions, including being lashed.
Cautioning the traders, Mr.Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi stressed that, starting Wednesday, 16th April 2024, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) will embark on a two-week decongestion exercise to evict all traders who sell on pavements and along the roadsides.
Mr.Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi aka King Zuba
The KMA has warned that all persons found selling on the roads will be dealt with firmly.
According to the KMA, the traditional methods of clearing traders from the pavements—such as confiscating their goods and making arrests—have not yielded positive results, as traders continue to return.
The mayor noted that such acts of indiscipline have significantly contributed to congestion in the city and must be addressed.
In line with this, the new mayor has threatened to lash traders who continue to sell on the pavements as a deterrent to others.
Speaking at a news conference in Kumasi on Monday, April 14, Mr. Boadi stated that his approach combines military-style enforcement with democratic principles, which he believes will be effective in keeping traders off the pavements.
“I have my own military-democratic style which I will be implementing. When we say leave the space, and you don’t leave the space and I get there, and you’re not there and my boys are with me, there and there we will beat you.
“In the middle of Adum, if I’m alone, you will be lucky, but if I’m with my ten boys, in their pick-up with their whips, trust me, we will beat you. If you don’t want to experience that kind of situation, do what is right and lawful.
“This is Otumfoo’s city, this is the garden city of West Africa, and we have to preserve it. If you want the job to be difficult for me, I will let your body feel the difficulty you are giving to me,” he warned. Source:Fati Aminu Ibrahim
