Pepease: town with 2 rival chiefs cries for development
Pepease, located on top of one of the mountains on the Kwahu Scarp in the Kwahu East District of the Eastern Region, is noted for its serenity.
The picturesque town, with most of its buildings in modern architecture, is well laid out and surrounded by fine gardens.
Such beautiful surroundings have transformed the town into one of the most sought-after places to live on the Kwahu Scarp.
There is no doubt that in 2003, the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) adjudged it as the most beautiful town in the Kwahu enclave.
The peaceful nature of the town, with a population of about 2,815 the second largest in the area, should have accelerated its development.
However, because there are two chiefs, investors and developers are not willing to do business in the town.
This is because they do not know which of the two chiefs should be contacted for blessings to facilitate any development projects, especially those that will create employment for the large number of unemployed youth in the area.
Chieftaincy disputes
The chieftaincy disputes in the area have lasted for the past 10 years, resulting in the town's lack of development.
One of the bad roads in the town
Also affected is the poor condition of roads linking the town to others, all because of division in the town, with those with the means unwilling to help address the infrastructural challenges.
Although the inhabitants are known for trading, a large portion of the population also engages in various forms of farming.
They grow crops including maize, cowpea, groundnuts, shallots, plantains, cassava, yams, cocoyams, oil palms, kola nuts, and cash crops such as cocoa and coffee.
Others also cultivate vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, okra among others.
Despite that, such arable land can help crops to thrive, but farmers lack the means to undertake large-scale farming, so they operate at a subsistence level with very small farms per farmer.
To prevent such a situation, several prominent local individuals are seeking support for farmers in the form of inputs such as machinery, as well as financial backing.
Income
This will invariably boost the cultivation of such farm produce, enabling farmers to derive appreciable income for their sustenance and that of their dependents.
The Nkodwasuafuohene of Pepease, Nana Abankwah Ansong II, who is disturbed by the division in the town due to differences between the two chiefs, said that if the issue was not resolved, workers posted to the town would leave.
"If there are chieftaincy disputes in a town, it destroys a lot of things, which include education, health, roads and trading, of which buyers are not willing to buy anything from the opposing side.
"Others, too, who have lands for farming, are not willing to release such lands to farmers on the opposing side.
"If this happens, it negatively affects the cultivation of food crops, resulting in famine", Nana Ansong stated.
Nana Ansong stated that there were wealthy people in the town, but they were unwilling to help rehabilitate the Abetifi to Pepease Road because of the division in the town.
He said that at the moment, no one is available to lead the development of the two due to disunity resulting from chieftaincy disputes in the area.
Two factions
Nana Ansong, who was concerned about the chieftaincy disputes in the area, therefore, appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene swiftly to resolve the issue amicably and restore development.
The untarred main road of the Pepease town
The town, he stated, had been neglected in terms of development, and the chieftaincy disputes had also divided the town into two factions, making it very difficult for the town to be developed.
A provisions seller and resident of Pepease, Priscilla Asante, told the Daily Graphic that the town had not seen any development due to chieftaincy disputes in the area.
"We need development, not disputes in Kwahu Pepease, so the government must act now to find a lasting solution to the problem.
"We have suffered for 10 years now because of chieftaincy disputes, and enough is enough, no more division among us", she stated.
Another resident of the town, Francis Agyapong, indicated that the town needed infrastructure development such as schools, mechanised water systems, decent market centres, among others.
"Let's smoke the peace pipe, embrace peaceful co-existence among ourselves to ensure that the area will see more development and other social amenities such as decent classrooms, mechanised water systems, decent market centres, astro turf among others", Mr Agyapong stated.
Peace & security
In an interview with the Daily Graphic on Wednesday, November 26, the Ahenenananom and Ahenemma of the Kwahu Pepease, who were also worried about the lack of development occasioned by chieftaincy disputes in the town, appealed to President John Dramani Mahama to intervene by finding lasting solutions to a decade-long chieftaincy dispute that continued to threaten the peace and security of the area.
According to them, a petition signed by the Spokesperson for the Ahenenananom and Ahenemma of Kwahu Pepease Royal Family, Owusu Mark Appau, stated that residents of the area were peace-loving and law-abiding citizens, but the ongoing disputes were undermining the area's peace and tranquillity.
The Pepease community library
He stated that the chieftaincy disputes, which had lingered since 2014, had retarded development and succeeded in bringing tension among residents of the town.
Mr Appau further indicated that the situation had deteriorated further, with the presence of unknown armed individuals allegedly parading through the town, causing fear and panic among the residents.
He said in September 2022, the National House of Chiefs, sitting in Kumasi, ruled on the matter, where a five-member panel chaired by Oseadeeyo Akumfi Ameyaw IV, with other members such as Osagyefuo Kwame Akonu X, Togbegah Patamia Dzekle VI, Nana Ampra Besemuna III and Okokyeredom Sakyi Ako II, declared the installation of Kwaku Osei Bonsu as null and void.
Mr Appau said the panel further directed the Queen Mother, Nana Oforiwaa Pokuaa II, to restart the process of installing a legitimate chief for Pepease.
Also, he indicated that in June 2024, the Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice Frederick Tetteh, found Osei Bonsu and Nana Appiah Ofori guilty of contempt for defying the
House of Chiefs’ directive and that both were fined 2,000 penalty units each.
However, the family spokesperson further explained that the two men reportedly reinstalled Osei Bonsu as chief without the queen mother's consent and that the queen mother later pursued another contempt case. On March 14, 2025, the Koforidua High Court, presided over by Justice Senyo Amedahe, convicted Nana Appiah Ofori II of contempt but suspended the sentence for 14 days to give him a chance to purge himself of the offence.
The convicted party, Mr Appau, said had since failed to comply and continued to occupy the palace with armed guards.
The royal family spokesperson emphasised that they had exhausted all lawful avenues to resolve the matter, adding that the government’s intervention was urgently needed to avert potential violence and restore peace to the community.
“We, the Ahenenananom and Ahenemma of Kwahu Pepease, remain committed to peace and the rule of law.
"We appeal to President John Dramani Mahama and all relevant state institutions to enforce the rulings of the National House of Chiefs and the High Courts to prevent further escalation of the chieftaincy disputes", Mr Appau indicated.
The petition, he stated, had been copied to the Speaker of Parliament, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Minister for the Interior, the National Security Coordinator, the Eastern Regional Minister, the District Chief Executive and the Regional Police Commander.
When the Daily Graphic visited Kwahu Pepease, it noticed the town's peaceful nature and how the people were going about their everyday business activities without any hindrance.
It also observed that the chieftaincy dispute in the area had led to the town's lack of development, a worrying situation for residents.
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