The frequency of Kejetia fires has raised significant concerns among traders and market leaders, with many calling for immediate and decisive action from the Kumasi City Market management to prevent further destruction and loss.

Speaking on Orange Sunrise, the secretary of the Combined Kejetia Traders Association, Reuben Ameh, recounted the latest fire incident that occurred over the weekend. He expressed deep frustration over what he described as negligence and a lack of strict enforcement of safety regulations within the market.

He emphasized the emotional burden traders bear each time a fire breaks out. Reuben suggested that the market’s continuous exposure to fire outbreaks is largely due to weak enforcement and leniency in holding offenders accountable.

“If we are being strict enough, we will not get to the point we are getting,” he stressed.

Traders Call for Accountability and Reform

Reuben highlighted a past incident from 2022 where a fire was caused by a trader using an electric heater. He revealed that although security discovered the issue, they suggested the woman responsible should be pardoned due to her age.

“When I came down to the office, they said she is an old woman, so she should be pardoned,” he recalled. 

He argued that management must take firmer action to deter future negligence. Reuben further condemned the culture of favoritism, where individuals are excused from consequences because of personal relationships.

“People say, ‘The person is my friend, the person is my relative, but whoever caused this fire to burn recently, just on Friday, that person should be held responsible to pay, and that person should be taken out of Kejetia completely.”

He proposed a return to effective enforcement practices that existed in the old central market. He explained that during that time, sirens were used to signal market closure, and traders who failed to comply faced immediate penalties.

“At 5:30pm the first siren goes, at 5:45 the second siren goes, and at 6 o’clock the last siren goes, signifying that it’s time for you to leave the market,” he noted. “If they realize that your fan is on or any gadget is on in your shop, they switch off the main switch outside and then lock your shop.”

“We Are Burning Kejetia Ourselves”

According to Reuben, four separate Kejetia fires have occurred in just three months this year, a worrying trend that he attributed to the continued sale of hazardous materials and general trader indiscipline.

“At the beginning of the year, we had one. Then, just a few weeks into the year, the second one,” he said. “That was one of the fires that we were lucky we saw it early and cleaned it off, because if it had extended to the third shop, that shop had chemicals.”

He criticized the market’s decision to still allow the sale of flammable chemicals, despite a deadly fire that occurred on 15th March three years ago.

“They sell chemicals at Kejetia, approved by the management. The ferry chemicals that caused the 15th March fire three years ago—they are still selling them there. And that was the cause of the second fire this year,” he revealed.

Reuben warned that the situation will worsen if attitudes do not change.

“We are burning Kejetia ourselves. Nobody comes from any place and can burn Kejetia.”

When asked whether the solution to the Kejetia fires lies in training and education, Reuben insisted that enough sensitization has been done.

“What education haven’t we done? It’s enforcement,” he said firmly. “Let’s enforce the rules. Management has the capacity to do this. They should be able to do it.”

He recommended regular and unannounced inspections by market management to ensure compliance with safety protocols. He said management has a right to walk into your shop on any day to inspect it and should do that. 

He concluded by saying that until traders adopt the right mindset, Kejetia fires will remain an ongoing threat.

“When we stop our attitude, then we can look at other causes of the fire. But most of the fires that happen in Kejetia, it’s our attitude.”