Akua Bonsu *

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Churchgoers were returning to their places of abode. Shops were closed but street hawkers were still doing brisk business at the front end of what many consider to be downtown Kumasi. But I could not believe my eyes. Heaps and heaps of trash littering all the streets of Adum as though the city was receiving no attention from her handlers. What used to be known as The Garden City of Ghana can now best be described as the trashiest city in Ghana, and Mayor Sarpong and his KMA are to blame for the neglect.

Not too long ago, Kumasi Metropolitan Authority employed street sweepers to keep Kumasi clean. And to pick up trash, Zoomlion was up to the task. What changed? "The Mayor," said one trader. "You can go to KMA and try to see him, but you would only be wasting your own time because even if he is in the office, they will tell you he has travelled." How anyone in charge of a city can leave it so littered with trash as depicted in this picture is mindboggling.

In trying to figure out the root causes and what might be done about the problem, I first looked at the inhabitants. But who can blame them? There were no trash cans within site. I drove around with emptied water bottles in my car all day Sunday looking for public trash cans but could not find any. Certainly not too many pedestrians would carry trash about looking for disposal points, and that explains why trash was thrown about in the streets

One can bet that the worn out explanation of budget cuts and scarce resources would be the first excuses from Sarpong and company. But further enquiries revealed that KMA is raking in millions in parking fees on the streets of Adum. The city authority has drawn up 45 degree lines along Adum streets and is charging 50 pesewas per hour per spot. As busy as Adum gets everyday except Sundays, one trader estimated that the city takes in no less than GHC 25,000 daily. How some of that money cannot be used to keep the streets clean is a mystery.

Mayor Sarpong should take a cue from his counterpart in Accra who has dedicated himself to keeping his city clean. Say what you may about Mayor Vanderpuje, but he is not swayed by all the critics. Running a city will invariably run a mayor against city stakeholders whose livelihoods are threatened by ordinances. But in the final analysis, keeping a city clean is the most basic of a mayor’s responsibilities, and so far Mayor Sarpong of Kumasi has woefully abdicated that responsibility.