Kaiser Flats residents condemn alleged forced evictions
Residents of Kaiser Flats in Tema Community 4 have raised alarm over what they describe as an unlawful and forceful eviction exercise allegedly carried out by officials linked to the Tema Development Company (TDC).
The development has drawn strong condemnation from the residents, who insisted that the action was unacceptable.
Some residents indicated that some staff of TDC Ghana Ltd undertook an exercise during which they marked buildings and issued occupants with a seven-day ultimatum to vacate their homes.
The move, the residents said, sparked fear and confusion among families who said they had lived in the area for decades.
The targeted multi-storey residential block at Kaiser Flats in Tema Community 4 shows signs of neglect, with cracked concrete balconies, exposed electrical wiring, worn railings, and patched doors, heightening concerns amid the alleged eviction threat.
Reacting to the situation, the Assemblyman for the Horticulture Electoral Area, Baba Tunde Lasisi, said he was taken by surprise when residents contacted him about the development.
He stated that as the Assembly Member, he immediately sought clarification from TDC to verify the authenticity of the exercise.
“I personally went to TDC to find out whether their Estates or Legal Department was aware of what was going on, and I was told clearly that they did not know about any eviction exercise,” he said, adding, “I also contacted the Mayor, and he confirmed that nothing of that nature had been approved.”
The Assembly Member questioned the rationale behind the alleged evictions, especially considering that some of the buildings in question were demolished in 2018 without any redevelopment taking place since then.
“Not even a common stone has been laid on those lands. You cannot suddenly come back and tell people to move just so certain individuals can have their way,” he said
“Governance must be about fairness, not using power to intimidate ordinary people,” he added, while questioning whether the central government supported the alleged eviction exercise, noting that the timing could not be worse for residents already grappling with economic hardship.
“People have just gone through the festive season and are now struggling to pay school fees and meet basic needs.
You cannot add another burden by forcing them out of their homes. “It does not speak well of us as a country," he said.
Relocation
The Assembly Member rejected claims that residents could be relocated to housing estates outside Tema, describing such proposals as impractical and insensitive.
He explained that Kaiser Flats was strategically located close to Tema’s industrial hub, the harbour, making it ideal for workers.
“Telling people to move to areas like Community 26, where traffic can take up to two hours, is unfair. Some residents living in three-bedroom houses here in Tema are being asked to move to two-bedroom units elsewhere under poorer conditions.”
Mr Lasisi reaffirmed his commitment to defending the interests of his constituents, warning that he would not support any action that undermines their welfare.
"The interest of the people must always supersede individual or private interests.
I will not support any eviction that is not lawful, humane and transparent,” he stated.
Meanwhile, checks at TDC Ghana Ltd indicate that the Managing Director of the company has requested a meeting with the affected residents to deliberate on the matter.
Background
The Kaiser Flats were built in the 1960s to temporarily accommodate expatriates and workers who were building the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO).
Over the period, some of the structures have deteriorated. In 2013, TDC Ghana Ltd planned to demolish the flats, but the exercise was aborted owing to some litigation.
The occupants sought a court injunction to restrain the TDC from ejecting them.
However, a High Court in Tema ruled in favour of TDC in July 2017 after years of litigation.
Later, some occupants went to court to plead for some time to vacate the flats.
The court gave the occupants up to the end of January 2018 to completely vacate the flats.
The TDC subsequently obtained a writ of possession to remove the occupants to pave the way for the redevelopment scheme for the entire Tema, especially the Kaiser Flats area.
In 2018, the TDC engaged the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to demolish four blocks within the Kaiser Flats enclave in Tema, which were declared unfit for human habitation by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).
The occupants of the four blocks, namely 407, 408, 410 and 415, were all evacuated and some allocated accommodations at Community 26, while others were compensated.
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