The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has fined six food vendors, including a relative of the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, a total of GH¢1,100 for operating during the September edition of the National Sanitation Day (NSD) exercise.
The vendors, who were found trading at Okaishie and in front of UTC, Makola Mall, were sanctioned after AMA officials discovered that they were conducting business instead of taking part in the sanitation exercise last Saturday.
Among those fined was a kenkey seller who is related to Mayor Allotey.
The Mayor said the decision to sanction his relative was deliberate, insisting that it was necessary to demonstrate that the Assembly’s enforcement of the sanitation directives would be carried out without fear or favour.
“If my own relative can be sanctioned, then nobody should expect to escape the law because of a personal relationship or connection,” he said.
Mayor Allotey explained that the action was intended to send a clear message to traders, food vendors and residents that the sanitation exercise applied to everyone.
He urged businesses and residents to use the designated sanitation day to clean their surroundings before commencing their usual activities.
According to him, the exercise is not solely about punishing offenders but also about encouraging a change in attitude towards sanitation and making regular cleaning a shared responsibility.
He stressed that keeping Accra clean requires the cooperation of residents, traders and businesses, adding that the Assembly would continue to enforce the directives.
