Kejetia traders struggle to prepare new site
Hundreds of traders evicted from the Kejetia Bus Terminal by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and relocated to the Kumasi Race Course have been left to fend for themselves.
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The traders are, therefore, currently burdened with the task of clearing weeds and the dense vegetation at their new site.
The traders, many of whom are women; some with babies strapped to their backs, looked miserable and dejected as they laboured under the scorching sun to prepare the site for business.
They claimed that following their transfer to the race course, spaces that were made available to them were sold at very high prices.
According to them, even though the KMA had on many occasions prior to their eviction given assurances that the race course had been well divided into clear boundaries, the situation on the ground proved otherwise, as it was only a small portion of the land that had been cleared and prepared for use as a bus station.
Meanwhile, the KMA has further secured other places such as the Afia Kobi Lorry Terminal, popularly referred to as Abinkyi Market, and the Adehyeman Market where some of the evicted drivers and traders have been moved and are already doing brisk business.
KMA
In reaction to the concerns raised by the traders, the Public Relations Officer of the KMA, Mr Godwin Okumah Nyame, told the Daily Graphic that the Kejetia Bus Terminal was still open for business and that it was only commercial drivers who had been moved from the place.
He said the KMA had cleared and dressed a portion of land at the race course that was to be used by both traders and transport owners for their activities. He said the portion that the traders were currently clearing at the site was not part of the land intended for their resettlement.
He said the assembly was going to stop the traders from using the area they were clearing as a market. He said those traders clearing a section of the race course were not from the Kejetia Market, but only wanted to seize the opportunity to grab spaces in the undeveloped areas of the race course.
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Mr Nyame said even though the terminal had been blockaded, traders were not prevented from opening their shops to trade.
Safety concerns
Madam Serwaa Brago, 62, a trader, could not hold back her tears when the Daily Graphic asked for her impression of the new race course facility.
She wondered what they would do when it rained. “Right now, we are in the rainy season and the place is not habitable, safe and secure for mothers and old women like me to trade,” she said.
Another trader, Rebecca Amponsah, approached this reporter and complained bitterly about the treatment meted out to them by the KMA. She said the assembly had claimed that the Kumasi Race Course was safe for trading activities.