Heads are likely to roll at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) as soon as investigations are conducted into allegations of bribery and extortion of monies in the allocation of stores at the Asafo market in Kumasi.
Aggrieved market women have petitioned the Regional Minister and the new Executive Officer of the KMA to ensure that fair play prevails in the distribution of stores at the market.
They also want officials of the Estate Management Unit of KMA probed for alleged bribery.
The KMA has already moved to forestall deals in the allocation of market stores, directing that all stores which are not operational be locked up in order to identify genuine occupants of stores at the market.
Consequently, the Estate Management Unit and the management of the Asafo market have been tasked to furnish the KMA with details of allocation and monies involved.
The Estate Department has also been asked not to collect any monies from new persons for allocation.
The Asafo market got burnt on March 30, 1993. It was later reconstructed under an expansion project.
In addition to the original 184 stores which were burnt down, about 218 new ones were reconstructed. Other stores marked AMS Extension, numbering about 70, were later added.
The allocation of these stores had been suspended, following the exit of Nana Akwasi Agyeman, ex-KMA chief executive.
Some KMA officials allegedly took advantage of the removal of Nana Akwasi Agyeman and allocated the stores to some individuals, after extorting monies from them.
There are those who have paid their ?2 million into a Special Development Account as requested by KMA and issued with pay slips, but have no allocation papers by the KMA and, therefore, have no stores.
Also there are those who could not beat the deadline and, therefore, did not pay the ?2 million. This category has no allocation papers but some of those who could afford to pay extra ?1 million to some officials now occupy the stores.
KMA and market sources told the Chronicle that about 57 women who paid ?2 million are yet to be allocated with stores.
The market women are complaining of extortion by some KMA officials. According to the complainants, they had been asked to pay ?50,000 each previously before they paid ?2 million.
Some also claimed they paid ?3 million over and above the required ?2 million and yet have no bank receipt or allocation papers.
The women have also confided in the Chronicle that these officials are inciting them to pressurise the new KMA boss through petitions to re-open the development account to enable them get their allocation. Fact is those who paid ?3 million, including a kick-back of ?1 million, will not be issued with allocation papers until they provided bank payment slips.
If the development account is re-opened the suspected KMA officials would quickly pay in the ?2 million in respect of contributors and then enjoy their booty of ?1 million without question.
The women also complained that some assembly members had deprived them of their rights by the allocation of these stores to them (assembly members).
They have also questioned the authorisation of the allocation of stores after the removal of Nana Akwasi Agyeman from office.
"In this era of true accountability no official should be allowed to enrich himself at the expense of market women, traders and the KMA", adding "gone are the days when a few cheated the majority of the people."
KMA's Estate officer, Mr. Appiah has, however, denied the payment of more than ?2 million to his outfit by any market trader.
He explained that KMA issues allocation papers to only those who pay directly to the bank.
Appiah has no records of the occupants of the stores, a fact which corroborates allegation that the original list was missing from the files of KMA.
The estate officer could not say how many of the stores had so far been allocated and what number was yet to be allocated.
"That is why we are undertaking the exercise," he said.
Meanwhile, Chronicle has also gathered that the KMA is taking ?300,000 each from the market women to allow them erect containers to replace wooden structures which were previously removed to decongest the market.
