Kejetia traders resist KMA decongestion exercise, question charges, enforcement methods

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly has begun a major decongestion operation at the Kejetia and Adum markets to clear unauthorised trading activities that city authorities say are worsening traffic and obstructing public access.

The task force is removing goods displayed in prohibited areas, demolishing wooden structures on pavements, and towing vehicles parked indiscriminately. The exercise forms part of efforts to ease severe congestion within Kumasi’s central business district.

The move has triggered open resistance from some traders, who claim they have a right to remain in the spaces they occupy. A trader who clashed with the task force said she pays a service charge to operate in an alleyway and accused the assembly of frequent harassment. She argued that she needs to work to support her children and complained that the pressure intensified after the current administration took office.

The assembly denies the existence of any such service charge. Francis Dodovi, Technical Advisor to the Kumasi Mayor, insisted that the KMA has not received money from traders selling at the entrance to the Dubai market and said nobody has been authorised to take such payments. He noted that the assembly only collects license fees from traders with formal stores.

He added that the Mayor has warned against unauthorised collectors and told traders not to give money to anyone claiming to act on his behalf. According to the assembly, clearing the entrance is necessary because it serves as an access route to a major public facility and cannot be blocked.

The enforcement team has encountered several confrontations. A scuffle erupted between a female trader and the task force when she resisted attempts to seize goods she had placed in an illegal spot. In another incident, a vehicle owner refused to pay a 400-cedi fine after officials failed to provide a receipt, arguing that the process lacked transparency.

KMA officials say compliance has generally improved, noting that many traders who normally operate on the road shoulders were absent during the latest checks. However, they also acknowledge pockets of defiance that continue to challenge the operation.