Traders operating along pavements and roadsides in the central business district (CBD) have been given a strict two-week deadline by Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi.
Those who refuse to leave will face penalties, including the contentious threat of beating.
Speaking to the media during a press conference in Kumasi on Monday, April 14, the mayor said that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) will start a decongestion operation on Wednesday, April 16, 2024, to remove vendors who have occupied roadside areas and pedestrian walkways.
Mr. Boadi claims that the KMA’s prior attempts to retake the pavements by making arrests and seizing products have failed because vendors keep coming back in violation of the bylaws.
He attributed the city’s increasing congestion and disarray on these recurring acts of indiscipline.
“This is Otumfuo’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 cautioned.
After taking office earlier this year, the mayor declared that his government would implement a new enforcement strategy, which he referred to as a “military-democratic style.”
Although the phrase caused some confusion, Mr. Boadi clarified that it uses both forceful deterrent and law enforcement to guarantee compliance.
“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,” he warned.
“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,” he added.
Reactions to the news have been divided throughout the city; some citizens are in favor of the measure to restore order and pedestrian safety, while others are worried about possible human rights abuses and the prospect of violence.
The KMA asserts that it is still committed to restoring Kumasi’s reputation as a clean and orderly city and demands that traders comply or suffer the repercussions.
However, the Assembly’s capacity to balance enforcement and dignity may be crucial to the outcome of the next decongestion exercise.
Source: newsthemegh.com