The trotro pulpit: the law is clear, the argument is not

Walk through any lorry park in Accra, Kumasi or Tamale and you will still hear it: a voice rising over the engines, a Bible verse, a call to repent before the bus reaches its destination. The Road Traffic Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2519) now say that this can land a preacher in prison. Some preachers have made clear they do not intend to stop.

What the law says
The rule is not brand new, but its teeth are. L.I. 2519 prohibits causing or permitting a nuisance, including preaching and hawking, on a public or commercial vehicle in motion, and Regulation 141 sets a fine of 10 to 50 penalty units, up to eight months in prison, or both.

At GH¢12 a unit, that is a fine of GH¢120 to GH¢600. The 2012 rules already prohibited it, with a penalty of up to 30 days, but enforcement was weak and the practice stayed common.

The regulations came into force in May, and the Transport Ministry began a nationwide awareness campaign this month.So the real test is only starting. The provision does not target any one religion.It applies regardless of the preacher's faith, and it does not restrict preaching in general, only while the vehicle is moving.

The case from the pulpit
The opposition is serious and should not be dismissed. Evangelism draws on the Great Commission's call to make disciples of all nations, which some preachers have long argued extends even to a moving trotro.For many, it is also a livelihood.

Pastor Boateng, 61, who preaches on buses leaving Accra's Neoplan station, told the BBC he was shaken by the rules and wants preachers exempted.

He said many pastors depend on gifts from passengers to feed their families. Supporters argue that evangelism is a Christian duty and should be protected as freedom of worship.

They have a point about enforcement and fairness. Preachers with megaphones at lorry parks and markets are not affected by the ban.A rule that silences the trotro preacher but leaves the loudspeaker untouched invites the charge of arbitrary enforcement.

The case from the seat
The other side is the passenger who has no way to leave. Critics argue that preaching on moving vehicles can be disruptive and could distract drivers. A passenger on a four-hour journey to Kumasi cannot walk out of a sermon, and Ghana's roads are dangerous enough already.

Concerns about money-seeking are not new either. In an earlier GNA report, a church leader complained that some "church on wheels" preachers recite a few verses and then appeal for donations, which he said made a mockery of Christianity. Not every bus preacher fits that description, and Boateng's group does serious work, but the complaint is a real one.

Not all churchmen oppose the rule. Rev Enoch Paul Hayes of the International Central Gospel Church does not think it infringes religious freedom, and he urged pastors to comply and find other ways to spread their message. One passenger told the BBC pastors should be allowed to preach only with passengers' consent.

The Christian Council of Ghana did not respond to the BBC's request for comment. A statement from the Council, the Catholic Secretariat and the Pentecostal Council would help settle this.

Freedom of religion, and its limits
Ghana's constitution guarantees the practice of religion, but that right is subject to the rights and freedoms of other people. That is the heart of the matter. The right to preach is not in doubt.

The question is whether it extends to a captive audience in a moving vehicle. A reasonable reading is that the state may regulate the time and place of religious expression without banning religion, as long as the rule is applied evenly and without hostility to any faith.

Public confrontation has already occurred, including a widely shared video of a physical fight after a preacher refused to stop mid-sermon on a trotro. Violence between a preacher and a passenger helps no one, and it is a sign that a law without agreement behind it will not hold.

A way forward
Preachers who say they will carry on are right to care about their calling, but defiance will cost them. Some practical steps could ease the conflict:

Preach at the station before departure, with the driver's consent, and get off before the bus moves. Boateng himself suggested this arrangement for the city exit.

Unions, the Christian Council and the police should agree on a code for where preaching is allowed, covering stations, lorry parks and parked vehicles.

Authorities should apply the rule evenly, including to loudspeaker preaching where it is a nuisance, so the law is not seen as targeting one group.

The Transport Ministry should finish the awareness campaign and explain in plain terms what is and is not covered, in Twi, Hausa, Ga and Ewe as well as English.

A good law protects the public without humiliating the faithful. Faith that cannot survive without a microphone in a moving bus has more to give than that, and a state that wants compliance should give preachers a place to be heard.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,
International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)
[email protected]
+233555275880

References
MyJoyOnline, "Jail term for preaching in commercial vehicles increased to eight months." myjoyonline.com/jail-term-for-preaching-in-commercial-vehicles-increased-to-eight-months/

MyJoyOnline, "Explainer: Why preaching in moving tro-tros could mean eight months in jail." myjoyonline.com/explainer-why-preaching-in-moving-tro-tros-could-mean-eight-months-in-jail/

Citizen Digital, "Ghana cracks down on religious preaching in public buses," Sept. 26, 2026. citizen.digital/article/ghana-cracks-down-on-religious-preaching-in-public-buses-n390921

BBC News, "Ghana bans preaching on buses with jail terms for offenders," via MyJoyOnline. myjoyonline.com/ghana-bans-preaching-on-buses-with-jail-terms-for-offenders/ (also ModernGhana: modernghana.com/news/1533486/ghana-bans-preaching-on-buses.amp)

ModernGhana, "No More Sermons on the Move: Ghana Tightens the Law on Trotro Preaching and Hawking," Sept. 26, 2026. modernghana.com/news/1530897/no-more-sermons-on-the-move-ghana-tightens-the.amp

GNA via ModernGhana, "Ban self-styled pastors preaching on buses – Apostle." modernghana.com/news/52304/ban-self-styled-pastors-preaching-on-buses-apostle.amp (older report)