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Traders and transport unions at the Kejetia Lorry Terminal have petitioned the government over the decision of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to register traders at a fee of GH¢200 in the Kejetia Redevelopment project.

Mr. Andrews Kwofie, Public Relations Officer of the Kejetia Association of Traders, told a press conference yesterday, that the KMA has embarked upon the registration of traders, who number over 5,000, at a fee of GH¢200, without which they would not be issued with ID cards to qualify for resettlement.

He said the over 5,000 Kejetia traders are in a fix, especially when the Kumasi Mayor, Kojo Bonsu, is regarding them as mere squatters. They appealed for the immediate intervention of the government to decide their fate in the face of the project. They argued that to date their fate is not known, as the KMA boss would not listen to any dissenting views regarding the project.

The traders described Mr. Kojo Bonsu as an autocrat and arrogant, and who is bent on ejecting the traders from the Kejetia terminal at all cost to implement the redevelopment of Kejetia. According to the traders, the per the agreement with the acting Ashanti Regional Minister, Eric Opoku,  the registration was supposed to be unconditional, and must capture every living being who plies his or her business at the lorry terminal.

According to the PRO, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC), the KMA, and the traders agreed at a stakeholders’ meeting to form a steering committee to oversee the registration of all but aliens who traded at the terminal. The PRO revealed that the registration currently was unfortunately being done discriminatorily, based on nepotism, and accused the Mayor of Kumasi of deploying military and police officers to intimidate them to register.

The traders said the current registration of traders is regimental, despicable, and undemocratic, alleging that aliens who do not ply their business there are being registered as traders. But the Special Aide to the Kojo Bonsu, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, has vehemently denied the allegations, giving the assurance that the traders will be relocated to the Race Course, Abinkye and Bantama.

Mr. Gyamfi stressed that since petty traders do not operate from shops, they cannot be given shops to occupy. He said the KMA had instituted a complaints desk, while a monitoring team is in place to address any problems which will crop up from the registration process.