There was drama in Kumasi’s central business district on Wednesday after city authorities ordered the immediate closure of a popular eating joint over what officials described as serious public health risks linked to poor sanitation.
Metropolitan Chief Executive Richard Ofori Agyemang-Boadi, aka “King Zuba” led an inspection that uncovered blocked drains, strong offensive odours and untreated waste flowing into public drainage channels around the Alpha and Omega Chop Bar.
City officials said waste from the food joint had clogged nearby drains, while a public toilet behind the establishment was operating without a septic tank and discharging effluent directly into the drainage system, worsening conditions in the area.
Agyemang-Boadi said the situation posed a threat to traders, commuters and residents and could not be allowed to continue.
The mayor said the owners of the toilet facility and more than ten other nearby shops accused of contributing to the unsanitary conditions have been summoned to court for operating without the required permits.
“We are summoning all of them to court for the law to deal with them,” he said.
Agyemang-Boadi warned that the KMA would intensify enforcement of environmental and public health regulations across the city, particularly in high-traffic commercial areas.
“Public health cannot be compromised,” he said, urging food vendors and sanitation operators to comply with existing laws or face sanctions.
Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region, has struggled for years with poor drainage and waste management, problems that often worsen during the rainy season and raise concerns about cholera and other sanitation-related diseases.
