Awutu Senya East is a constituency located in the Central Region of Ghana, with its capital at Kasoa, one of the fastest-growing towns in Ghana.
The constituency was created out of the Awutu-Senya constituency to accommodate the growing population and improve political representation.
The constituency is known for being politically competitive, particularly between the two dominant parties in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Since its creation, elections in the constituency have seen fierce competition.
Mavis Hawa Koomson became the first Member of Parliament for the constituency after winning the parliamentary seat in the 2012 elections. She successfully retained her seat in the 2016 and 2020 General Elections.
Hawa Koomson served as a Minister of Special Development Initiatives and is currently the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in the Akufo-Addo administration.
The NDC has also put forward strong candidates such as Adams Nuhu Timbile and Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor in an attempt to win the seat, but the NPP has managed to maintain dominance.
Hawa Koomson’s stronghold in the constituency made it difficult for the NDC’s Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor to capture the seat in the year 2020. She succeeded against the NDC with 52.22% votes.
The constituency has experienced some political tensions, particularly during election periods. During the 2020 elections, there were reports of clashes between supporters of the NPP and NDC.
In addition, Hawa Koomson herself was involved in a controversy during a voter registration exercise in 2020, when she fired a warning shot at a polling station.
A recent voter transfer exercise ahead of the December polls in the constituency turned chaotic as the son of Mavis Koomson was stabbed in the chest in a disagreement between members of the NPP and NDC over the position of some residents in a queue at the EC office.
Statistics from Channel One Research Unit reveal that Hawa Koomson won with a significant margin in 2012 with 52.50% against the NDC’s Adams Nuhu Timbile who polled 45.45% of the total votes cast, setting the pace for NPP dominance.
In 2016, she again retained the seat, increasing her margin over the NDC candidate with 58.10% against Adams Nuhu Timbile’s 40.8%.
Hawa Koomson successfully defended her seat in the year 2020, continuing NPP’s dominance of the constituency.
Hawa Koomson introduced an annual soccer competition called the “Kasoa MP’s Cup” to engage and empower the youth in her constituency. In 2021, she contributed to the construction of a church hall for the Bethel Methodist Church in Kasoa.
The MP boasts of a police regional headquarters for the Central East Police Regional Command in the Awutu Senya East constituency to enhance security.
Mavis Hawa Koomson also prides herself on the provision of potable water to areas without pipe-borne water in the constituency.
However, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor of the NDC remains a strong contender. She believes that her party’s achievements in infrastructure development, education, healthcare, and poverty reduction, could work the magic for her to capture the seat for the first time for the NDC.
Awutu Senya East remains an important constituency in Ghana’s political landscape, particularly because of its strategic location in the Central Region and the growing influence of Kasoa as an economic hub.
Kasoa has experienced speedy urbanization, bringing to bear challenges such as landguard activities, crime, infrastructure deficits, and employment issues. These socio-economic shortfalls often become key campaign issues during elections in the enclave.
