Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly
THE KUMASI Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) expends a whopping GH¢ 80,000 on the payment of monthly salaries for its staffers that sweep the Central Business District (CBD) of Kumasi at night.
The KMA sees proper sanitation of the city as one of the key ways to enhance the development and beautification of Kumasi hence the night sweepers are important to the assembly.
Mr. David Adjei, the Head of the Revenue Unit of KMA, who made the disclosure, also stated that the assembly uses a chunk of its internal generated funds (IGF) to improve the sanitation in the city.
According to him, the assembly uses a staggering GH¢ 240,000 every month to fuel their trucks and 80 per cent of the figure is expended on sanitation, with administrative work covering only 20 per cent. He made the disclosure during an interview with Kumasi-based Nhyira FM.
Mr. Adjei explained that the KMA fuels trucks to pick heaps of garbage at vantage points in the city to the Oti Land Fill site every day in order to help avert the spread of diseases.
In line with this, he appealed to residents of Kumasi, especially traders, shop owners and landlords, to pay their taxes promptly so that the assembly would always have enough funds to properly manage the city.
According to him, the payment of taxes has not been encouraging in Kumasi as the year is gradually coming to an end, and the assembly has decided to rely on its taskforce to collect all unpaid taxes to develop the city.
Mr. Adjei said even before members of the taskforce began their work, the KMA had started a massive educational drive whereby residents of Kumasi would be educated about the need for them to pay their taxes always.
He stated that after the educational exercise, the KMA taskforce would hit the ground running as they would work to ensure that all taxes including property rates, fee fixing, store license and others are paid.
Mr. Adjei stated that the KMA can operate professionally, especially in the area of sanitation management to the satisfaction of residents only when they pay their taxes, which is their civic duty.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi