The personnel, comprising officers from the police, military, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Prisons and the Immigration Service are expected to augment the efforts of the group that is already overseeing the exercise.

The officers are expected to evict all petty traders and drivers from unauthorised places to the Racecourse terminal and other satellite markets within the metropolis.

The exercise, according to the Assembly, is aimed at decongesting the Central Business District and at paving the way for the completion of the redevelopment of the Kejetia bus terminal.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the KMA, Godwin Okumah Nyame told Citi News that the Assembly will be tough on recalcitrant traders and drivers.

“What informed this exercise was the observations have been made by the Ashanti Regional Security Council as far as the ongoing relocation exercise is concerned. So the Council, at its meeting last week, decided to help the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly by beefing up the number of personnel to enable us to intensify the relocation exercise so that those traders who still sell on the streets and pavements will move to Racecourse and other designated satellite markets that they are supposed to move to,” he said.

Mr. Okumah Nyame also added that the transport unions are also supposed to relocate.

“We were using persuasion but now we want to use some kind of minimal force,” he added.

Some residents who spoke to Citi News want the exercise sustained.

“The decongestion exercise is better because it makes movement very easy for us. We want them to continue although people are complaining,” one resident said

“It is a good exercise because it makes the place look nice. I think that by the time they will finish with the construction Kumasi will be a very pleasant place to visit,” another resident added.

Don’t pay for allocation of shops at new Kejetia market

KMA had earlier stated that it was not collecting money from traders to secure spaces for them after the Kejetia redevelopment project is completed.

The Assembly in a statement said it would deal ruthlessly with persons caught extorting monies from traders.

“The Assembly wishes to make it clear to the public that no person, group of persons or organization, has been authorized to collect money on behalf of the KMA for the purposes of allocating stores to traders at Kejetia. The assembly will soon commence the validation of all traders and shop owners who were registered at the Kejetia Lorry Terminal, prior to the commencement of the ongoing redevelopment project.”

“Any trader, organization or group of persons who will be found involved in the alleged extortion of money from traders will be ruthlessly dealt with by the law,” the KMA said.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The traders have also threatened to demonstrate against the Assembly, and attributed their low sales to the Assembly’s failure to relocate the transport operators to the terminal.

Most of the petty traders who used to sell on pavements, have been relocated to the new site.

The traders, who mostly rely on the transport operators to sell their wares say the commercial activities have slowed down since the relocation, because the Assembly failed to relocate the drivers to join them at the Racecourse terminal.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1Vvt955bExCnPiqfK7kmzUZ9XuXyGSal”]Chairman of the Kejetia Petty Traders Association, Nana Akwasi Prempeh, addressing a news conference in Kumasi, said members of the Association are unhappy with the “lackadaisical attitude”  exhibited by the KMA in the relocation exercise.

“We cannot stay here while other traders are by the roadside selling. We are all traders and it is our interest to also get something from our daily bread. Our interest especially is the transport operators because we know that if they are operating here, effectively the passengers they bring in will buy our wares. The KMA should ensure that they relocate all the transport operators to this place”.

The traders gave the Assembly an ultimatum to relocate the transport operators to the Race Course terminal or face their wrath.

According to Nana Prempeh, members of the Associations will resist attempts by the KMA to frustrate their businesses.

“What we are seeing at Race Course here is nothing to write home about. We are sending this warning to the Mayor that by the 30^th of this month if we don’t see all the transport operators being relocated to Race Course, we the traders are going back on the streets. And we are going to embark on a demonstration dubbed ‘taking over’, we will take over all the streets of Kumasi,” he threatened.

The Assembly recently relocated traders to Racecourse temporarily to pave way for the completion of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project.

The exercise also aims at decongesting the Central Business District.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Kumasi: Petty traders threaten demo against KMA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

It said the exercise was to ensure the free flow of traffic, which has over the long period of time been impeded by the activities of traders along major roads.

In the last quarter of 2017, the Assembly conducted a similar exercise which forced traders to move from the area to available spaces at the Racecourse. However, they returned to the streets during the Christmas period with the excuse that they could only make sales there.

But the Public Relations Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly [KMA], Goodwin Okumah Nyame, said with the Christmas season over, traders will not be permitted to carry out their activities on the streets.

Mr. Nyame threatened that traders who flout the regulations will be dealt with accordingly.

When Citi News visited the central business district, most of the traders had vacated the area, with some still packing their wares.

Some tables belonging to traders  were destroyed by the KMA task-force members.

Some traders have however vowed not to move from the Central Business District until the Assembly provides them with a better alternative to ply their trade.

In Accra, the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, led a team of officers from the Assembly including metro guards and police officers to clear hawkers off pavements in the metropolis.

The exercise, which commenced in the early hours of the day saw the MCE and his team visit the Central Business District, Kwame Nkrumah interchange, Tip-toe lane, Kokomlemle among other areas where they destroyed illegal structures and ejected hawkers.

In the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Comfort Asante, has cautioned traders to desist from plying their trade on the pavements and along the streets following the expiry of the yuletide grace period she gave them in December.

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By: Lauretta Timah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The traders, who occupy streets and pavements have vowed not to leave those places unless the Assembly provides them with better alternatives to ply their trade.

The Assembly recently relocated traders to Racecourse temporarily, to pave way for the completion of the Kejetia Redevelopment Project.

Most traders have defied the orders of the Assembly, and are still trading on pavements and other unauthorized places.

A barricade erected at the Kejetia redevelopment project site has taken over major portions of the streets.

The space left for pedestrians’ use, has also been occupied by the petty traders, a situation that has resulted in congestion and overcrowding in the area.

Some of the pedestrians who spoke to Citi News are worried over the daily struggles they go through in moving around the area.

“People are also selling here. So as a matter of fact, it will create congestion between the traders and pedestrians. It is not easy using that way. So I blame it on those working and the traders”, a pedestrian lamented.

The traders have attributed their unwillingness to relocate to the inability of the KMA to secure spaces for them at the new market.

According to them, several attempts to find space at the Racecourse terminal have not been successful hence their decision to continue their trade on the pavements.

A trader who sells Ghana made Slippers said “When you go there they will tell you to group yourselves and come back. We are here as individuals and we cannot be in groups. We will still stand here, we are not moving unless they arrest us. We voted for NPP, so when they want to sack us, 2020 will come and we will show Nana. Anytime they come to power, they will come and sack us. So what job do they want us to do?”

The Kumasi Traditional Council is backing the KMA to decongest the city to ensure order around the Central Business District.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Kumasi traders sell on pavements despite KMA’s caution appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Oscar Riches’ suspension comes few months after another Assembly Member for the Krofrom West Electoral Area was suspended for misconduct.

Mr Riches was said to have punched the Assembly’s Deputy Coordinating Director, Karim Abdallah Adams after a misunderstanding ensued between them during a recent meeting.

Background

On November 22, 2017, the Chairman of the Finance and Administration Committee, Kofi Senyah, invited the Deputy Metro Coordinating Director, Karim Abdallah Adams, to answer questions concerning a letter he had addressed to the Administrator of Sub-Metro Council but which had not been copied to the Sub-metro chairmen.

While Mr Senyah insisted that the letter should have been addressed to the sub-metro chairmen as well, Karim Adams said he had been instructed by his superior, the Metro Coordinating Director, hence his actions.

This generated some misunderstanding between the Mr Senyah and Mr Adams with the latter being ordered to leave the conference hall.

Oscar Riches then questioned comments made by Mr. Adams suggesting he would turn down any further invitations from the committee because of his treatment.

In the heat of the misunderstanding, Mr Adams told Oscar Riches that he came to KMA with his certificates causing Mr Riches, wo was angered by the comments, to reportedly punch him in the face.

Resolution

The General Assembly, after receiving a report from the Public Relations and Complaints Committee (PRCC), resolved to suspend the Asokwa New Town Electoral Area member for one year.

After a heated debate whether to suspend the Assembly Member for one year or two years, 37 members eventually voted for him to be handed a three-month suspension, four voted for a six-month suspension with 53 backing a year’s suspension, while seven people abstained.

The Assembly will write a disclaimer to the Asokwa New Town Electoral Area to inform chiefs, opinion leaders and the entire area about their decision.

The Committee also recommended that in the absence of the elected Assembly Member, the adjoining electoral area Assembly Members, Unit Committee and Government Appointees for the area should take charge of his duties for the area.

The committee also recommended that Nana Kofi Senyah should write an undertaking to protect technocrats and any person invited to appear before the Finance and Accounts (F&A) committee and serve as a deterrent to other conveners.

The Committee also recommended that Karim Abdallah Adams should be suspended by Management for two weeks after an official apology is written to the F&A sub-committee for his utterances.

He has however apologized and has been subsequently pardoned by the Assembly.

Presiding Member of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Abraham Boadi said the suspension will serve as a deterrent to other Assembly Members.

“I am saying we are the lawmakers, we are the Assembly, and we make the laws. It’s better we debate constructively. You can debate to any extent, but not to throw your hands at each other,” he said.

Some Assembly Members who spoke to Citi News also welcomed the decision.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post KMA suspends Assembly Member for assault on Deputy Director appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the management of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), the fountain can now operate manually after an IT professional it employed, fixed the control system.

The USB drive was detected to have gone missing on July 22, 2017, as a result of which the dancing fountain subsequently stopped working for about a month.

The Manager of the Park, Kwame Asamoah Mensah and the IT Manager, Carlos Sakyi Ntow, were picked up following the theft incident and have since been interdicted.

The Public Relations Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Godwin Okumah Nyame told Citi News that repair works have been completed and the foutain will now function as expected.

“The Assembly made some changes as far as the management of the Park is concerned and one of the IT guys that was taken there is Simon Raad. He has been able to change the computer language from Chinese to English. According to him, it has two systems both automated and then manual system so once he was able to change the language, we are now able to use the manual system. So the good news is that Kumasi Rattray Park, the fountain is now operational”.

In June 2015, the Rattray Park was established by the KMA, and was jointly commissioned by President John Mahama and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II two weeks ago.

The recreational facility is aimed at giving residents a one-stop recreation facility, and also promote a healthy lifestyle.

The Park covers 42,000 square meters, and has an acoustic dancing fountain; the first of its kind in Ghana.

It can also boast of a six square-meter multimedia controlled fountain, children’s playground, a golf cart, wi-fi internet connectivity, an open robust gym and a cafeteria among others.

The Park was in September 2016 temporarily closed down by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for non-payment of tax.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The preacher, Abraham Arthur, who has since been granted bail, is said to have resisted arrest when personnel from the Noise Control Department went to stop him from making noise around the Asafo interchange on Tuesday morning.

According to the department, the preacher struggled with the personnel and subsequently used one of his gadgets to hit the windscreen of their vehicle several times, causing a huge damage.

The development comes few weeks after the Ashanti Regional Minister ordered the arrest of the head pastor of the House of Bethel Ministry for noise making during an all-night service.

The Kumasi Metropolitan Noise Control Officer, Edmund Kombal, who narrated the incident to Citi News, said he wants the police to prosecute the preacher to serve as a deterrent to others.

He expressed worry over what he described as a trend of street preachers attacking KMA officials when they are approached over their activity.

Meanwhile, the department has confiscated the gadgets belonging to the preacher.

‘Noisy church’ left me no choice – Minister defends pastor’s arrest

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, who similarly arrested a pastor for noisemaking, later told Citi News he had no option than to involve the police to disrupt the watch night service of the House of Bethel Ministry, as they were making excessive noise in the early hours of Saturday Morning.

According to the Minister, the church, which is located at Anwomaso-High Tension, a suburb of Kumasi, ignored his previous warnings, as they appeared to have increased the noise levels in an act of defiance.

Mr. Osei Mensah was said to have stormed the church at about 12:30am, with armed Police officers, and ordered them to halt an ongoing Watch Night Service because of the noise making. The pastor was released in the morning on the same Saturday.

The head pastor of the church, Reverend Kwame Takyi, was arrested and put behind bars, and granted bail later on Saturday morning around 8:00am, according to Citi News’ Ashanti Regional Correspondent, Hafiz Tijani.

Defending his approach, Mr. Osei Mensah said he has complained “several times [about the noise levels]. Yesterday [Friday], around midnight, they were making a lot of noise. I entered the church and I told them the level of the noise was too high.”

He said there were about 30 people in the congregation and he did not see the reason for all that noise “that we cannot even sleep.”

“The moment after I warned them and left, it [the noise] became even worse. Maybe I annoyed them so they rather increased the volume and I had no other option but to report them to the police,” Mr. Osei Mensah added.

Church disputes noise-making claim

The church, however doesn’t think it was making too much noise.

The Secretary of the House of Bethel Ministry, Stephen Osei, said to Citi News that, “at a point, the police felt the noise that was going on wasn’t something that could disrupt the place because it is a programme we do every last Friday of the month. He [the Regional Minister] has always been here with us and this time, we felt surprised this thing was going on.”

“Normally what we do is that, by 1:30 AM, we leave the microphone to the pastor to preach, and then we mute everything in the room. People are not allowed to sing in the room,” he explained.

Unlawful arrest or show of power?

There are concerns the Minister may have acted in an unlawful manner, using his office and privilege as a public officer to intimidate the church.

Although there are by-laws on noise making in Ghana, they are mostly not enforced, worsening the situation across the country.

It is however unclear whether the Minister acted appropriately by ordering the arrest of the pastor, considering that in most cases of this nature, complaints are first made at the Assemblies’ departments that deals with such matters, or to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This is because, such noise levels are measured with noise meters by these officials, to determine the permissible and non-permissible levels.

And in most of these cases, fines are often slapped on offenders rather than imprisonment terms, except in cases where a convict fails to pay the fine.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Street preacher arrested for ‘destroying’ KMA noise control vehicle appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the significant rise in the population of the large metropolitan assemblies in Accra and Kumasi, had put a lot of stress on resource allocation in those areas.

[contextly_sidebar id=”cY6C06gcfmEmzibUFfhqgajcnDApTDSv”]He believes that the creation of the new districts will reduce the pressure on the two assemblies and ensure that resources reach remote places which would otherwise have been ignored .

“ Kumasi and Accra are different in their own right. Accra is the capital city and the pressure on Accra is quite bigger and very huge as against that of the other assemblies. The same applies to Kumasi, because Kumasi shoulders the pressure from Northern Ghana, and it is a middle belt metropolitan assembly,” he said.

“So we need to reduce the pressure and make sure they can concentrate on developing Kumasi properly and its environs.”

He also said the revenue sources of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly( KMA), are such that they do not need the common fund.

He argued that cutting it away would allow other sub metropolitan areas, that may have met the population criteria either on the district or municipalities level, to assume that status, and have the common fund to start development from “the bottom up” to get to the level of the AMA and KMA in terms of development.

However,  he admitted that both areas still had unresolved issues with sanitation management.

“When you look at KMA and AMA, they may have been developed, they have developed up to a certain level except for waste management” he said.

He proclaimed that, if other areas are caved out, government can concentrate on their development,  which is the rationale behind elevating some metropolitan assembly into municipalities.

‘Deepen democracy and decentralisation’

A legislative instrument (LI) was laid in parliament on Thursday for the creation of 38 new districts across the country.

The LI, which will mature in the next 21 sitting days, seeks to also carve some municipalities from other assemblies, and also elevate some existing districts to municipality status.

Speaking to journalists after presenting the LI, the Local Government Minister, Hajia Alima Mahama, said the move is to deepen Ghana’s democratic processes as well as the decentralization system.

“We’ve decided that we need to deepen our democratic process and decentralization system. There are some districts that have grown. We started district assemblies in 1988, the population of some of the district assemblies have even doubled. And the essence of our local government system is to ensure that all persons in the district participate in the governance system and feel part of the governance system. So we’ve decided to increase the number of districts, the districts that are big, divide them into other districts,” she added.

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By: Farida Yusif/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Creation of new districts will spread development to neglected areas – Analyst appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

They have given the Assembly a 12-hour ultimatum to reopen the shops or face their wrath.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qFlqaFc4D2dckefMo5FqnZJEiVUtqww8″]Citi News gathered that, 15 shops in the Central Market, were closed on Thursday, following a misunderstanding between revenue collectors of the KMA and the owners of the shops over the payment of daily tolls.

Some of the traders said the Assembly was charging them GHS 2.00 as market toll each day, instead of an agreed amount of 50 pesewas.

Maame Anima, one of the affected women, told Citi News that they had agreed to pay GHS 1.00 as daily market toll, after a meeting with the heads of the Assembly, but the revenue collectors insisted on taking GHc 2.00 when they went round the stalls on Thursday.

She explained that, one of the revenue collectors physically assaulted a market woman after she refused to pay the GHS 2.00, insisting they had agreed to Ghc 1.00 at a previous meeting.

But the Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi, has discounted claims that the market women are being charged Ghc. 2.00 as market toll.

According to him, the charge is GHS 1.00, and that has been the amount set by the assembly some five years ago, but came into effect in October 2017.

“KMA has not increased the fee. The fee was fixed more than 5 years ago, but we have now enforced it so  we have not increased it. The fee as at the time of Kojo Bonsu, was when the KMA allowed the fee increase of Ghc1.00, but the market leaders pleaded that we give them a moratorium until 2017, and that is exactly what we are doing now,” he told Citi News.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to Osei Assibey Antwi, 198 guards were screened when he assumed office to weed out the aged, the sick as well as indiscipline and non-performing personnel.

The exercise, he revealed, exposed 46 of the guards without appointment letters, 21 of them engaging in mere labourer work, six (6) not fit for the position, and 15 cited to be indiscipline and were captured on tape for misconduct.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Bn3RAaQiC697CzAsxuGpGqkLR6KcbdHQ”]The 15 personnel who were cited for various offences including alleged extortion have since been sacked.

The Kumasi Mayor made the remarks at a meeting with members of the Kumasi Traditional Council.

He said the conducts of some city guards have dented the image of the Assembly since most of them sent to direct traffic in parts of the city had engaged in alleged bribe taking.

“So Nananom [traditional rulers], very soon we shall take it up. Non performing city guards will be sacked, others will be transferred and those who are not fit will also be laid off”.

He indicated that the Military High Command has also withdrawn a captain stationed at the Assembly to oversee the activities of the guards.

He explained that the Military officer was withdrawn because the misconducts occurred under his watch.

He added that the command will soon post a new officer to takeover.

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By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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