Who listens to the Kayayo?

The Kayayo or the market-carrier is now a household name. In many perspectives, their roles in various market centres are interpreted, depending on how one encounters them. To the sellers of goods and market attendants, they provide a vital service that they have become such an important channel in the distribution of goods and services in many of the country’s markets.

In their dire circumstance, a token for their vital services, according to some patrons of our markets is enough to support them earn a decent living. Their situation could not be that bad, those with that School of Thought had argued.

There have been instances where some good Samaritans amongst them had picked some of the porters as house helps and indeed have provided shelter on their heads.

But generally that exception is so insignificant considering the larger number of Kayayei who have become bulwark at various market centres; with no shelter and are always at the mercy of rains and armed robbers and pick pockets who take advantage of their situation to either steal them, rape or defile them.

To such poor porters, 99 percent of who are women of Northern extraction, the Agbogbloshie, Makola, Tema Station, Odawna, Mallam Atta and other market centres in the country, although are just inhabitable and dangerous, they offer unacceptable respite as their homes in the night.

Do they have option? Certainly not! With the protracted wars and tribal fighting in their localities, the unfortunate women have no option than to re-locate down south in search of an unavailable decent living.

At least they take consolation in the fact that if they cannot get a worthy decent living, they would be sparred the booming noise of guns that they are often used to in their areas of origin.

The obnoxious traditional practice in most parts of the Northern territories, where the woman is still treated as a second-rated citizen is also an issue that is driving most of these women away from their homes in search of non-existence glory.

As some run way from their draconian domestic tyrant-husbands with their children, some encounter similar problems by having unwanted pregnancies through rape and defilement by their armed-robber predators on the streets.

They don’t dare return to their bases because of the possible hostile reception that they are likely to receive from their non-conformists parents who gave them out to marriage as slaves, or their inhuman husbands.

The onus then lies on government to provide the requisite shelter and accommodation for such poor individuals. Interestingly, all candidates in the 2008 elections, including President John Evans Atta Mills, made the plight of the Kayayei, a big electoral issue and promised to address the imbalance when voted for.

It’s been some nine months into the administration of the learned Professor, and the conditions of the Kayayei are deteriorating at such an alarming rate. So what is the Mills’ administration doing?

Their number has increased with the nine months of the current administration because the government like its predecessor-the NPP, has not been able to deal with the many disturbances at the North where most of the unfortunate women migrate from.

That has been the tale of the Kayayei and many Ghanaians with similar problems. It’s about time politicians were subjected to strict proof of their campaign promise and that could start with the failure to deal with the problems of our unfortunate porters.

We urge them and for that matter every average Ghanaian, to in future not be lured into voting for the simple rhetorical promises as the NPP and NDC had done in the past and currently what is being done to them by the second NDC administration.

They should find out from them how practical their promises are and if it sounded as similar as those promises made earlier on by the two parties, they should reject outright, the two traditions or political parties.

That means if the much anticipated change is to become a reality, then the smaller parties should also put their act together as an entity that is prepared to work hard and assiduously to be that responsible alternative that Ghanaians can entrust them with their votes and lives.