Few weeks after the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (KMA), Samuel Sarpong, had some pats at his back for his ability to sustain the decongestion of some areas of the business district in Kumasi; there have been some developments which seem to suggest that the exercise is gradually heading for a fiasco.
Hawkers overtaking the pavement at Kejetia
Based on humanitarian grounds, the assembly spared petty traders the trouble of having a dry Christmas by allowing them back onto the pavements to trade with the intention that they would leave after the celebration of the yuletide.
However, in their bid to survive some of the traders have been adamant in leaving the pavements where they were allowed to trade their wares during the Christmas.
Gradually the pavements in the central business district (CBD), of which several thousands of Ghana cedis were spent last year to keep clean and free from traders, are becoming congested again.
Even though guards of the KMA are always seen parading the streets of the CBD, their familiarity with the traders, some of whom, according to TODAY sources have become their concubines and drink mates, now find it difficult arresting the offenders and sending them to the court for the appropriate action to be taken against them.
Instead they, according to TODAY sources, bargain with the offenders and either collect monies ranging from GH¢3 to GH¢5 from them or agree to have sexual relationship with them.
“If even they arrest you, you can be sure they need some bribe, and surely they’ll take something at one corner of the road and leave you to go back onto the pavements,” a trader who did not know the identity of this reporter said to him.
Recently, there were media reports that one of the guards had been arrested by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) for allegedly extorting various amounts of money from the hawkers in order to allow them sell on the streets and pavements of the Kumasi CBD.
The KMA begun decongesting the CBD on September 9 last year, after many had thought the exercise could never take place.
This was because the mayor hinted media personnel on the assembly’s intention to undertake the exercise in July but did not know when exactly it would begin.
The exercise which started at the CBD was extended to other areas such as Alabar, Dr Mensah, Roman Hill and the Aboabo station.
Other areas were the Zoo Lane, Donkirk Cargo Station and Morocco area.
When suddenly the exercise begun, it took the traders by surprise, yet they took consolation in the fact that it would not last as previous exercises have failed to yield its intended impact.
However, Mr Sarpong will go down in the history of decongestion in the Ashanti regional capital as the mayor who has been able to sustain the decongestion exercise for a considerable time.
Media personnel were made to believe that the exercise would be financed with proceeds from the fines of offenders of the KMA by law which prevented traders from hawking on the streets and pavements.
As it stands now, the assembly is almost losing the fight against the hawkers who have come back onto the pavements and would soon set out onto the streets where, according to them, business blossoms for them.
Some of the traders who spoke to TODAY explained that they make more profits on the streets and pavements than the isolated areas the mayor wanted to send them to.
They indicated that some of the markets the mayor wanted to send them were not well resourced and needed more to be called a market.
The KMA has seen some decongestion exercises with the last one costing the assembly more than 1.2 million Ghana cedis.
The previous exercises failed due to lack of political will on the part of the assembly.
STORY: FROM JAMES APPIAKORANG JNR., KUMASI