Abinkyi market traders accuse KMA of betrayal

Traders at the Abinkyi market in Kumasi on Thursday, took to the streets to protest against what they say is the betrayal by the Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

For over two hours, the traders, clad in black and red marched through the streets, holding placards with messages like “Stop collecting bribes”, “Sack KMA lawyer”, “You are destroying Kumasi”, and “Abinkyi not an affordable place”.

They are angry at the seeming reluctance of the assembly to stop trading at unapproved points in the city, something, they claim, had paralyzed the recently built market.

Mr Isaac Buabeng, their spokesperson, said they had moved to the new market with the assurance by the KMA that all trading activities would be done from there.

He said more than three years on many of those allocated the stores and sheds have simply refused to occupy them.

Instead they have continued to remain at Kejetia, Bantama and by road sides, doing brisk business and getting good returns.

Mr Buabeng said the net effect of the assembly’s inaction was that customers do not have any motivation to walk all the way from Kejetia and other parts of the city to buy from them at the Abinkyi market.

Truck drivers, ordered by the KMA to off-load foodstuff only at that market, have also been defying the assembly with impunity and “surprisingly nobody seems to care”, he added.

The traders said the assembly has one week to decisively enforce its own decisions or face daily protests.

It should take bold steps to re-possess all unoccupied stores and sheds and re-allocate them to other people.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Mr. Kojo Bonsu, called for restraint and gave the assurance that their concerns would be addressed.