Kumawu Sekyere District Chief Executive (DCE) Imposes Covid-19 Curfew on Kumawu

The Kumawu Sekyere District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Samuel Addai Agyekum, has imposed a curfew on Kumawu exactly a week ago, on Easter Monday, 13 April 2020. According to my investigations, the curfew starts at 22:00 (10pm) until about 06:00 (6 am) the next day.

He has arranged police and military personnel who go out at 22:00, arrest and beat up anyone found in the streets outside their home. Some of those arrested are even transported outside Kumawu to where I am yet to find out.

The DCE, in trying to be more proactive, rather made a faux pas. He was with intent to maintain social and physical distancing among the people -in the nation’s attempts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by his unilateral imposition of curfew on the people of Kumawu. He has tried his best. Nonetheless, his best appears completely absurd in the eyes of any intelligent and wise person, for a number of good reasons.

1. Interaction of people do take place in a town like Kumawu, or in Kumawu itself, more during the day than in the night. Therefore, the likelihood of people getting infected with the virus will take place more during the day than in the evening or the night at 22:00 hours onward when most people will already be in bed.

2. Kumawu was never part of the announced partial lockdown of the Greater Kumasi by the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Therefore, people in Kumawu are not supposed to observe the strict order to stay indoors in breach of which one could neither be arrested and arraigned, nor beaten up, by the police or the military.

3. People in Kumawu like those in other parts of Ghana not affected by the partial lockdown are voluntarily advised to stay at home as much as they can for their own safety. This staying at home, avoiding shaking hands with other people, washing their hands frequently and applying hand sanitisers, wearing hand gloves and nose masks are all medical advisory by the President to Ghanaians to minimise the occasions of one contracting the deadly virus. If anyone for any stupid reason refuses to abide by the advice, it does not give rise to their arrest since their action may not amount to infringing any rule other than jeopardising their own safety and life.

4. As at Monday, 13 April 2020, did any DCE in Ghana have the right to impose any curfew on their people in the name of fighting to contain the spread of Covid-19 and if yes, which authority or law did back them to do that, if I may ask? If on the other hand, no DCE had done that or had no right to do so, why did Samuel Addai Agyekum, do as he has been doing in Kumawu?

5. What are the reasons for Samuel Addai Agyekum imposing curfew on Kumawu at the odd time of, and from, 22:00, and also for authorising the police and the military personnel he has arranged to bring to Kumawu to arrest and beat anyone found outside in the streets or outside their home? His reasons could be credible but until we are told, we will never know but hold him accountable for perceived wrongdoing.

6. Is the DCE proving himself wiser than President Nana Akufo-Addo? Is he trying to fault the President for failing to add Kumawu to the Greater Kumasi? If no, why does he see it fit to declare partial curfew on Kumawu whereas there has been no public disturbances, suspected upcoming public disturbances or serious outbreak of novel coronavirus in the area? If there was any outbreak of the disease in Kumawu, as stated earlier, the time for the public getting infected will be more during the day than in the evening when most of them will have retreated into their homes.

Would the DCE explain to the people of Kumawu and Ghana why he decided to impose a Covid-19 curfew, but not Covid-19 partial lockdown, on Kumawu? At the curfew time, anyone found in the street, outside their home, packing up the food they have been selling etc., will be arrested, beaten, or taken away with their food items seized.

This is not the first time this DCE has gone out his own way to behave utterly irresponsibly, concluding from my vast knowledge acquired through monitoring the politics of Ghana and comparing it with that of other countries as well as comparing him with other MMDCEs in Ghana.

Is he trying to prove to the President that he is the best among all the MMDCEs in the country who is capable to take initiatives or is more innovative than the others hence always being ahead of his peers but unfortunately, taking decisions or initiating polices deemed injurious to the people?

The President has just announced the lifting of the partial lockdown of Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi and Kasoa and any other part in the Central region affected by the lockdown so I am waiting to see if the DCE will lift the curfew he has imposed on Kumawu or not.

Why at all was this DCE nominated for the best DCE award in the Ashanti region? Is it for the amount of lies and propaganda he disseminates on airwaves? The amount of lies he tells will not bring real development to Kumawu and Ghana as a whole, for this I want the government to take note of. We need people who will tell the truth so that informed decisions can be made based on the facts available to the public, the government and the President.

Ghanaians should be ready to take on such rogues in the country following from the outbreak of this Covid-19 pandemic and the lessons to be learnt as Africans.

I rest my case and shall be keeping eye on this DCE who is exhibiting youthful exuberance but in a very deplorable manner.

Rockson Adofo
Monday, 20 April 2020