Blood will flow if KMA refuses to allow us trade in Racecourse Market - Traders

Some aggrieved traders at Racecourse in Kumasi have threatened to clash with officials of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) for preventing them from trading in the market.

The aggrieved traders are alleging that KMA has handed over their spaces in the market to a different group of traders despite claiming the market was not fit for purpose.

A spokesperson for the traders, Mr.Kwaku Akowuah, said they had invested resources in giving the market a facelift, but after doing that, the KMA removed them and handed over the market to a new group of traders.

He told Nyankonton Mu Nsem that the market was in a deplorable state until they developed the place.

He said the KMA later demolished their structures claiming, that the market was not conducive for trading.

After that, they brought in new traders to occupy our spaces, he alleged.

Because of this, the traders are not willing to allow the KMA to demolish the market or hand over the market to new traders.

According to him, the KMA would have to kill them before handing over the market to new people.

He warned they would replicate what happened in Ejura until granted the freedom to operate in the market.

"We will not allow the KMA to bring in new traders from Central Market to Racecourse. You cannot sack us and bring in new people after we spent money on transforming the market. If it is fit for trading, those who worked on the market must be allowed to trade in the market. If they don’t want a repetition of what happened in Ejura, they should allow us to operate in the market. If they want to kill us, they have to kill us,” he added.