'How did he get appointed'? – Kwesi Pratt Jnr expresses shock over Kumasi Mayor's 'reckless' statement

Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi [L] and Kwesi Pratt

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has questioned the effectiveness of the selection process for Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

This follows a threat made by Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), to unleash the assembly’s guards on vendors operating on sidewalks in the city’s central commercial area.

He outlined a new approach, which he described as a blend of democratic ideals and military-style enforcement to deter street vending.

“I have my own military-democratic style which I will be implementing. When we say leave the space and you don’t leave, and I get there and you’re still there with my boys — right there and then, we will beat you. In the middle of Adum, if I’m alone, you’ll be lucky. But if I’m with my ten boys, in their pick-up with their whips — trust me, we will beat you. If you don’t want to experience that, do what is right and lawful.

This is Otumfuo’s city, the Garden City of West Africa, and we have to preserve it. If you want to make my job difficult, I will make your body feel the difficulty you’re causing me,” he warned during a press conference on Monday, April 14, 2025, in Kumasi.

The Mayor has come under heavy criticism, with sections of the public condemning his utterance as reckless.

Commenting on the issue on Metro TV, Kwesi Pratt said he was completely shocked by the Mayor’s public display of lawlessness.

“For me, the most important question is: how did such a person get appointed as the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Kumasi? How did he get appointed, and who interviewed him? That is the critical question for me. From the way he is talking, if you sit down with him for five minutes, it should be possible to discern what his orientation is. But he was interviewed, he went through the system, and got approval to become the Metropolitan Chief Executive of one of the biggest cities in Ghana.

“This is the shock. The shock is not so much about what he said, but how he got to that position. Something is seriously wrong with the system of appointment. I am completely scandalised by the kind of statements he is making. I think I would be even more scandalised if, after this display, he is still at post. If, after this display, he is still at post, it would be a huge statement about the appointing authorities and those who choose to leave him there. This would not be tolerated anywhere,” Mr Pratt stated.

Meanwhile, following public backlash, the Mayor has rescinded his threat of corporal punishment in an interview with TV3.

He vowed instead to ensure that non-compliant traders spend time in prison.

“Other people have suggested jail terms instead of corporal punishment. So, I want to adopt that approach and see how it works. If they want to be in prison or on remand for a month or two, we will do that instead of meting out instant punishment. We will take them to court, but I will make sure they spend time in prison,” Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi stated.

How did he get appointed? I’ll be more scandalized if the Kumasi Mayor is in office by tomorrow – Kwesi Pratt reacts to ‘beating comment’#GoodMorningGhana #MetroTV pic.twitter.com/IjFH48NzX5

— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) April 16, 2025

KA

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