The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has held its First Ordinary Meeting of the 3rd Session of its 9th Assembly, at Prempeh Assembly Hall, which proposed a resolution to compel Mayors to reside in their official residence.
Last Monday’s Meeting, which coincided with the unveiling of the newly elected Town Council Chairpersons of the various electoral areas, was presided over by Mr Patrick Kwame Frimpong, who doubles as the Assembly Member for Krofrom East Electoral area.
The Presiding Member proposed a resolution to force Mayors to reside in their official residence when renovation works are completed in two weeks’ time.
The No. 7 Ellis Avenue at Nhyiaeso in Kumas, the official residence of the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has undergone several renovations since 2000.
The three-bedroom No 7. Ellis Avenue apartment had accommodated past mayors including Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Miss Patricia Appiagyei under Kufuor-led NPP, Samuel Sarpong and Kojo Bonsu under the NDC.
In most cases the facility had been renovated at huge cost to the assembly before occupation by each of the mayors. In 2014, some members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly were angry about the Chief Executive’s continuous stay outside his official residence.
According to them, GHc95,000 out of GHc110,000 voted in the 2013/2014
budget had already been spent to renovate the residence yet then mayor Kojo Bonsu declined to move into the official bungalow. The residence has not been occupied since 2017.
It is the hope of Presiding Member Patrick Frimpong that this time round after the renovation in two weeks’ time, the Mayor, King Zuba as he is known, would reside there hence the proposition to compel all mayors to occupy the official residence on assumption of office.
The General meeting also deliberated on roadblock issues within the Metropolis and recommended that Sub-Metro Engineers must inform/notify various Assembly members upon issuing a permit to keep them (Assembly Members) in the known and that the engineers must ensure that the blocked streets are cleaned after every event by the acquirer of the said permit.
The meeting also discussed absenteeism by some government appointees and MPs from KMA General meetings, sanitisation issues at Kumasi Secondary Technical School, redevelopment of Santasi market, revenue improvement, ban on tricycle in CBD core areas, extension of contracts and competence of contractors, maintenance of Prempeh Assembly Hall and the Sokoban Wood village, among others.
Delivering the Sessional address, Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi, the mayor, indicated that in line with KMA’s commitment to deepening decentralization and strengthening sub-structures for improved service delivery, the assembly had reconstituted the Town and Sub-Metropolitan District Councils. This, according to him, was in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Local Government (Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly) (Establishment) Instrument, 2017 (L.I. 2260) and the Sub-Metropolitan District Councils of Metropolitan Assemblies Instrument, 2015 (L.I. 2223).
He said a two-day workshop was organised in April 2026 for members to equip them with the requisite knowledge, skills, to enhance their legislative and oversight responsibilities.
Touching on security and public safety, the Mayor disclosed that while the Metropolis remains generally peaceful, certain areas are experiencing an increase in street robberies and thefts for which police patrols have been intensified in these hotspots. The Assembly is also engaging with relevant stakeholders to support the adoption and rehabilitation of dilapidated police posts and containerised stations, thereby strengthening police visibility, improving rapid response, and enhancing overall security.
Boadi indicated that during the year under review, KMA-NADMO recorded a notable reduction in disaster incidents, particularly flooding, despite the heavy rains experienced.
He said the Assembly, through the Metro NADMO and in collaboration with the Regional NADMO, provided relief support to affected victims, and directed the Metro NADMO Director to undertake regular weekly monitoring of major market centres as a proactive measure to minimise the incidence of fire outbreaks and other related emergencies.
As part of proactive flood mitigation efforts, major drains across the Metropolis, including Airport Roundabout, Moshie Zongo, Akwatia Line, WAEC area, Ahodwo, Nhyiaeso, Atafoa and Duase, were desilted, in partnership with the Regional NADMO, contributing significantly to the decline in flood cases.
The Mayor indicated that the Assembly remains committed to strengthening its Internally Generated Revenue (IGF) through innovative, transparent, and technology-driven revenue mobilisation strategies.
The Assembly, he disclosed, has adopted measures aimed at improving revenue collection efficiency, minimising leakages, and enhancing public confidence in the management of KMA’s revenue sources to build on the gains made in 2025
As part of these measures, the Assembly successfully implemented an electronic billing system, under which bills were dispatched to businesses within the Metropolis by the second week of January 2026.
This initiative, the mayor noted, has improved accuracy in revenue administration, minimised challenges associated with boundary disputes, and reduced unauthorised revenue collection activities.
The digital platform also provides rate payers with convenient channels to engage the Assembly on billing, payments, and business information updates, thereby strengthening trust and voluntary compliance.
Hon. Boadi disclosed that while significant progress had been made, behavioural change remains the most persistent and difficult challenge confronting the Assembly. Indiscriminate littering and the illegal disposal of waste at unauthorised sites continue to undermine sanitation efforts.
To address this, intensified monitoring, during early morning and late-night operations, led to the apprehension of 26 individuals who were prosecuted before the Prempeh Assembly District Court and fined between 100 and 120 penalty units (GHC1,200 to GHC1,440), noting that The Assembly would continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement, intensify public education campaigns, and collaborate with stakeholders to foster a culture of environmental responsibility.
From Oswald P. Freiku, Kumasi
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