A/R: We’ll flog traders who violate pavement trading ban – Kumasi Mayor

The Mayor of Kumasi, Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, has issued a strict two-week deadline for traders operating on pavements in the city’s central business district to vacate or face severe consequences.

Beginning Wednesday, April 16, 2024, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) will launch a comprehensive decongestion campaign aimed at clearing all unauthorized traders from sidewalks and roadsides.

The exercise, which will last two weeks, is part of efforts to restore order and ease movement in the city.

Mr. Boadi issued a strong warning during a press briefing on Monday, April 14, emphasizing that the assembly will no longer tolerate street trading that blocks pedestrian walkways and adds to the city’s growing congestion problem. He said individuals who defy the order will be met with firm action, adding that past strategies—such as arresting traders or seizing their goods—have failed to produce lasting results.

In a controversial move, the mayor hinted at a harsher approach, stating that repeat offenders could face corporal punishment as a deterrent.

He defended his enforcement style as a blend of discipline and democratic governance, saying, “What we are introducing is a military-style enforcement backed by a democratic framework to protect the rights of the public and restore sanity.”

The mayor’s statement has sparked widespread debate in the city, with some residents supporting the tough stance while others raise concerns about the legality and ethics of such punitive measures.

Nonetheless, the KMA insists the move is necessary to reclaim public spaces and ensure pedestrian safety as the city continues to grapple with chronic congestion.

“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.

-citinewsroom