Vagrants in the Suame Municipality in Kumasi have accused assemblies of being party to the alleged indiscriminate sale of refuse sites, playgrounds, pavements and parks.
At a sensitization workshop organized by Crime Check Foundation on the byelaws of the Suame Municipal Assembly, a representative of the vagrants said, “Lands meant for refuse sites, playgrounds, pavements, and parks have all been sold by landowners, and the Assembly cannot exonerate itself from blame. This is because these affluent individuals secure permits for any development from the Assembly, and they don’t care about us.”
The workshop was part of the implementation of CCF’s ‘Decriminalising Vagrancy Laws and Advocacy’ project, which was put together to help create an enabling environment for vagrants to know, claim and exercise their rights and responsibilities in Ghana.
It is supported by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.
Some stakeholders who were present at the event were the Prisons Service, elected members of the Suame Municipality, representatives of transport unions, sanitation workers, street vendors, head porters, market women and some other identifiable groups.
The vagrants also noted that the lack of some basic amenities and the difficulty to access available amenities were because they are not considered when the Assembly makes plans for development.