KMA arrests about 20 individuals for indiscriminate waste dumping

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has arrested about 20 people for allegedly engaging in indiscriminate waste disposal and failing to keep their surroundings clean, as authorities launched a stricter phase of enforcement aimed at curbing flooding and improving sanitation across the metropolis.

The arrests mark the first major sweep under a new “sanitation summons initiative” that took effect Monday, July 6, targeting households as well as public spaces across the city. Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi had announced days earlier that the exercise would be “stricter than any we have done before,” warning that anyone arrested would be prosecuted the same day.

The crackdown builds on months of intensified enforcement by KMA’s Metro Guards, who have repeatedly arrested and arraigned residents caught dumping refuse at hotspots such as the MTN Roundabout, Otumfuo Roundabout, the WAEC area and the Kejetia enclave. Offenders convicted under Section 56 of the Public Health Act have generally faced fines of GH¢1,200 or jail terms of up to 14 days in default.

The enforcement push is tied directly to Kumasi’s flooding risk. The Ghana Meteorological Agency has forecast above-normal rainfall across southern Ghana this season, and city officials say choked drains and illegal dumping remain the biggest drivers of flash floods in low-lying neighbourhoods. The KMA, working with Zoomlion Ghana and disaster management officials, has also been desilting major waterways, including at Atafoa and Asokore Mampong, ahead of the heaviest rains.

The Assembly has previously faced criticism, including from Amnesty International Ghana, over the harshness of some of its proposed enforcement measures. City officials maintain the exercise is being applied fairly and is necessary to protect residents from flood damage and health hazards linked to poor sanitation.