Minority demands action against KMA Boss over flogging threat – Minority

The minority caucus in parliament has condemned the Mayor of Kumasi Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, over his plan to publicly flog traders who defy orders to vacate unauthorized trading zones in the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly.

The mayor’s contentious comments, made ahead of a planned two-week decongestion exercise, have sparked widespread public outrage, with many calling on him to retract his statement and issue an unqualified apology.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the ranking member of the Local Government and Rural Development, Francis Asenso-Boakye, described the mayor’s comments as reckless and a threat to democratic governance.

Part of the statement read that, “Violence, threats of physical abuse, and the use of fear as a governance tool are unacceptable in any form and have no place in a constitutional democracy like ours. The remarks made by the mayor are not only reckless, but also risk undermining public confidence in local authorities and may expose the Assembly to potential human rights violations”.

The minority caucus has therefore called on the Minister for Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development, Ahmed Ibrahim, to quickly intervene.

They stated that, “We therefore call on the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development to intervene as a matter of urgency and impress upon the mayor the need to retract his comments and adopt a more lawful, respectful, and humane approach to enforcement.”

Meanwhile, the mayor insists that his threat to flog defiant traders is a necessary step to restore order and enforce discipline.

Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi stated earlier that, he does not support using the police to ease congestion, as it would be costly and ultimately ineffective, with conditions reverting to the same.

He expressed concern about people cooking and selling food in the middle of the road, which he found unattractive and vowed to tackle directly, along with the widespread filth in Kumasi, though he declined to say whether President John Dramani Mahama had approved his actions, insisting instead that, the focus should remain on the final outcome.

He argued that traditional enforcement methods, including relying on the police, have proven ineffective over the years, and his direct approach would be more cost-effective and impactful.

The minority caucus is therefore calling on the mayor of Kumasi to retract his statement earlier claiming its violence, threat of physical abuse and democratic governance.