Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi the Kumasi Mayor has backed down from his earlier comments of flogging defiant traders found selling on pavement and unauthorised places in Kumasi.
According to the Kumasi Mayor, he has been advised severally about his statement and wishes to go by the advice.
He revealed that people want the traders to be punished by taking them to court not by flogging them.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show, the Kumasi Mayor stated, “I have been advised severally, and I want to go by the advice. People want us to punish them in a particular manner—taking them to court—and where necessary, we will jail some of them,” he said.
“I am not going to be dealing with those on the pavements. We are dealing with those on the median. Subsequently, I will find time with technical people, get the technical advice so that we will move people to the Racecourse and other satellite markets,” he explained.
Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi had earlier issued a stern warning to traders selling on pavements in the region.
According to him, any trader found selling on pavements in the central business district will be flogged mercilessly by authorities of the KMA.
Traders selling on pavements have been given a two-week ultimatum to move from these places.
Explaining his new choice of enforcement, the Mayor indicated that conventional enforcement measures, such as confiscating goods and making arrests, have proven ineffective, necessitating a more direct approach.
The mayor issued this warning during a press conference on Monday, April 14, 2025, where he outlined plans for a decongestion exercise aimed at clearing traders from pavements and roadsides.
He stated, “I have my own military-democratic style which I will be implementing. When we say leave the space, and you don’t leave the space, and I get there with my boys, we will beat you.”
“In the middle of Adum, if I’m alone, you will be lucky, but if I’m with my ten boys, in their pick-up with their whips, trust me, we will beat you. If you don’t want to experience that kind of situation, do what is right and lawful.”
Emphasizing the need to maintain order in Kumasi, which he referred to as “Otumfuo’s city” and the “garden city of West Africa”, Mayor Boadi asserted his readiness to take decisive action against resistance.
The mayor added, “We have to preserve it. If you want the job to be difficult for me, I will let your body feel the difficulty you are giving to me”.
The mayor clarified that he does not anticipate criticism for enforcing these measures and urged traders to adhere to the regulations voluntarily to avoid confrontation.
