Kumasi streets in total darkness

Mr. Kojo Bonsu, the Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has been accused of neglecting street lights and road line markings on the streets.

At a meet-the-press, last December, Mr. Kojo Bonsu, admitted that malfunctioning of street lights in the city was an issue, a situation he attributed to the power surge. “We know it and we are working on it”, he said.

Mr. Bonsu promised that KMA technicians will work on the street lights, but the situation has worsened with over 80% of Kumasi plunged into darkness.

In spite of the assurance, there has not been any improvement and the situation is getting worse by the day.

Apart from Adum roads, which have seen some road line markings, other stretches are without markings, a development which has put pedestrians, especially school children in great danger.

Hundreds of Streetlights in The Ashanti Regional Capital, Kumasi remained nonfunctional, plunging a vast area of Kumasi into darkness, under the watch of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

Checks by The Chronicle in Kumasi reveal that a number of roads in the metropolis, the official seat of the Golden Stool are in total darkness even when the entire metropolis is enjoying power.

A night-working visit to Adum, Kejetia, Bantama, Neoplan, Central Market, the dual carriage stretch from Anloga junction to Abrepo, Suame, Denyame, Boys Brigade road and a host of other places in Kumasi are non-functional.

Mr. Christian Antwi Bosiako, a driver in Kumasi told The Chronicle that most of the streets are in total darkness, regardless of the erratic power outages. He said the Kejetia to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) dual carriage way is in stark darkness, a situation he said put drivers in fear when they are driving on the road.

The poor street lighting system is also stifling the works of Zoomlion workers who have been contracted by the KMA to sweep the Central Business District each night.

A Zoomlion Ghana Limited worker, who sweeps the said stretch, who spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity, lamented that the Pampaso-KATH road is in darkness and yet they are to sweep the stretch during the night.

This development, she said, is difficult and dangerous since they could be attacked in the dark. She appealed KMA to lighten up the place to make their work easy. In a telephone interaction with Mr. Godwin Okumah Nyame, the Public relations officer of KMA, he maintained that the Assembly is doing their best to light the city. In defence of the KMA, he said that “Rome was not built in a day”.