Kumasi traders beg KMA on street evacuation exercise, call for more time

Traders have appealed to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to afford them some time on the streets to make ends meet in such a covid-19 era before moving to their market allocations.

According to them, the threat of the virus has infused fears in consumers, who prefer buying from the pavement instead of walking distances in crowds to be 'plagued' with the novel pandemic.

The KMA Mayor, honourable Osei Assibey Antwi together with his contingent of the Metropolitan Security Council (METSEC), Environment, Justice, Security and the Trade conveners stormed the streets of Kumasi on Monday, February 1, 2021, to observe whether traders have disappeared from the choky streets of Kejetia to make way for stress-free adherence of the coronavirus health protocols.

Led by the Mayor, he told Soireenews in a press briefing that the action is not to ward off market women without space as made to believe by some media houses rather, they allowed the women to occupy the streets during the festive season to avoid stampede that normally occurs at market places.

He told that before they were allowed to sell on the streets, the Assembly, as they normally do, gave a deadline of January 15, 2021, to end their dealings and return to their former spots yet the unbending traders seem not satisfied with the idea and prefer to continue selling at unfavourable spots which threaten lives especially with the covid-19 pandemic making waves.

“In December, the traders came to our office as has been done previously to seek for a place to do business," the KMA Mayor said.

"We considered that Kumasi is a trading area so anytime it's getting to Christmas, we give them this area (streets) at least for three weeks to come out and sell their products for the reason that, allowing all the traders together with the people that come out to move in the inner part of the market causes a stampede.

“But as has been done previously, by 15 January, they are gone. Today is February 1, they are still here. We have reminded them of the necessity of moving out and their leaders were in the office on the 18 of last month for a meeting promising to relocate their membership out of the streets."

The Mayor has cautioned that if traders still turn deaf ears, the needed actions will be employed to vacate them at the approval of the Regional Minister-designate, Honorable Simon Osei Mensah.

“Today is the deadline we gave and we are here to observe whether they have left by their word. We are here to observe the situation and report so that when the regional minister adds his weight, we ll come back and do the need for.”

Per the words of the traders, they are not being recalcitrant towards the government but are only pleading for more time to trade until the coronavirus starts fading.

"We cant challenge the leadership. the virus has messed up our trade and going back to where we were will worsen matters for us and family. We beg them to give us some time. We are not disrespecting them," a trader said.