Kejetia Market: I'm not part of stall allocation – Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako, (Chairman Wontumi) has denied claims by the main opposition National Democratic Congress in the region that he is involved in the allocation of stalls at the newly-built Kejetia Market.

The NDC’s Ashanti Regional Communication Officer, Mr Abass Nurudeen, and his deputy, Mr Kwaku Asafo Adjei, at a news conference, accused the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) of allotting the stalls on political lines in accordance to the dictates of Chairman Wontumi.

But speaking in an interview with Kwabena Prah Jnr (The Don) on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, Chairman Wontumi said he has nothing to do with the allocation of the stalls.

“I have no role to play in the allocation of the shops,” he said.

“For good reasons, I have decided not to have anything to do with the project. Kindly ignore the claims by the NDC because they are full of lies.”

Apart from Mr Wontumi, the KMA has urged the general public to disregard the NDC’s “falsehood”.

In a statement issued by the KMA and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Henrietta Afia Konadu Aboagye on Wednesday, 24 July 2019, the KMA said: “The action of the NDC communicators” is “with the sole intention to dent the image of the KMA and also create unnecessary tension in regard to the allocation of shops at the newly-constructed Kejetia Market.”

It indicated that: “The price of Kejetia shops ranges from GHS7,800.00, GHS11,000.00, GHS12000.00, GHS16,000.00, GHS18,000.00, GHS20,000.00 to GHS41,560” and noted that the prices of the shops were determined according to the square meters they cover and that the “traders have the right to choose their preferred shops”.

Also, the KMA said: “There is no document or agreement signed by the KMA previously with the traders that the shops will be given out permanently.”

The KMA also put on record that ‘Wontumi’ has not written or verbally requested the Assembly to provide him with the list of stalls allocated. “He [Wontumi] has also not been part of the processes (registration, validation, exhibition and allocation).

“It is worthy to note that the Validation and Allocation Committees have representatives from the various trade unions (chairmen), government agencies and the traditional authorities”, the Assembly said.

It noted that it has forwarded the concerns of the traders about the five-year rent renewal policy to Parliament for redress “as soon as possible”, and emphasised that it “is not forcing any trader to bank with Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited with regard to the payment for shops and that: “Each trader is permitted to deal with any bank that he or she feels comfortable with.”