Stranded traders fight Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly

Traders who were evicted from the main Central Business District of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to Race Course on Monday, 6 November 2017, have been left stranded.

There was a struggle for space on Monday morning at the Race Course area following the relocation as many traders complained of lack of space.

The Assembly, led by Kumasi Mayor Osei Assibey Antwi, ordered the traders to leave so that allocations and floor markings could be done.

The aggrieved traders expressed disappointment that the assembly failed to do the demarcations before embarking on the eviction exercise.

"We obeyed the directive of the KMA to come here, but we have been asked to leave the land for them to demarcate it for us. We had already struggled for space. Why should you order us to leave," a trader told Adehye FM's Elisha Adarkwah.

"Where should we go and sell now because the Race Course area is not ready and you have asked us to relocate from where we were selling, now we have become stranded," another trader bemoaned.

The Chairman of the Kumasi Petty Trader Association, Mr Akwasi Prempeh, expressed displeasure over the development and appealed to the assembly to allow them to go back to the previous area till the Race Course area is ready.