KMA Sanitation Court Faces Scrutiny Over Filthy Public Urinal

The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly's sanitation enforcement drive is facing an uncomfortable test after the court handling sanitation cases was itself found with a public urinal in a poor and unhygienic state.

The court has become central to the Assembly's renewed campaign against insanitary conditions in Kumasi. That campaign, widely referred to as samansaman, is meant to bring residents, businesses and institutions before the law when they fail to keep their surroundings clean. But the condition of a sanitation facility at the same court has raised a blunt public question: who holds the enforcer to the same standard?

The concern followed observations that the court's makeshift urinal, built with concrete blocks, had become dilapidated and offensive. The facility was reportedly littered with stagnant urine, lacked basic sanitary features and produced a strong smell around the immediate area. For a court connected to sanitation prosecutions, the optics are damaging.

Public concern over hygiene at enforcement court

Some court users and residents have criticised the situation, arguing that an institution involved in the punishment of sanitation offenders should not operate with facilities that fall below acceptable hygiene standards. The criticism is not only about one bad urinal. It touches the credibility of a campaign that depends heavily on public trust, fairness and visible consistency.

The Assembly's sanitation summons initiative has gained attention because it signals a tougher approach to waste, filthy surroundings and poor sanitary practices in the metropolis. The policy places responsibility on individuals and institutions to keep their environments clean. Yet the discovery at the court has created the impression that public institutions may not always be meeting the same expectations being imposed on ordinary residents.

Court users who spoke about the matter described the urinal as unpleasant and unhygienic. They called for urgent action, warning that a sanitation court cannot be associated with a facility that offends the very principles being defended in court.

A sanitation enforcement campaign loses moral force when the public sees poor hygiene at one of the very places where offenders are prosecuted.

The issue has also revived a wider conversation about maintenance culture in public institutions. Across many cities, sanitation enforcement often focuses on homes, food vendors, markets and private businesses, while public facilities sometimes escape the same public pressure. The Kumasi case has therefore become a useful reminder that enforcement must begin with the institutions leading it.

KMA says modern washroom is planned

KMA officials have acknowledged the concern and say steps are being taken to fix the problem. Metro Environmental Health Officer Kwaku Poku said the Kumasi Mayor has promised to construct a modern washroom facility for the court.

"We have been here, myself, the Coordinating Director and the Mayor. The Mayor has promised to build a washroom for the court," Mr Poku said.

According to him, the process has already moved beyond verbal assurances. He said an engineer had visited the site to take measurements for the proposed facility.

"I was here when the engineer came to take the measurements, so in the next few weeks the Mayor has promised to fix the washrooms from his own pocket."

That promise will now be watched closely. The Assembly's response must be swift because the state of the court facility has moved from a maintenance complaint to a credibility issue. If the court is expected to handle sanitation offenders, it must also project the standard of cleanliness the city wants the public to respect.

The Mayor's commitment to fund the washroom personally may bring quick relief, but the bigger institutional question remains. Public sanitation facilities require planned maintenance, routine inspection and budget-backed repairs. A one-time intervention can solve the immediate embarrassment, but it cannot replace a system that prevents such conditions from recurring.

Fines and convictions continue under samansaman

The controversy comes at a time when the KMA is intensifying enforcement against insanitary conditions across Kumasi. In recent days, the Assembly has targeted homes and facilities accused of breaching sanitation regulations.

Following the enforcement exercise, at least 12 people were arrested. Ten of them were convicted, while two cases remain pending before the court. KMA Public Relations Officer Henrietta Konadu Aboagye said nine offenders were each fined 100 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢1,200. Two others were fined 140 penalty units.

She also indicated that persons who fail to pay the fines would serve 10-day custodial sentences. One institution cited in the exercise pleaded not guilty, and that case has been adjourned to July 13.

• At least 12 people were arrested during the latest sanitation enforcement exercise.
• Ten people were convicted after the exercise.
• Nine offenders were fined 100 penalty units, equal to GH¢1,200 each.
• Two others were fined 140 penalty units.
• Failure to pay the fines attracts a 10-day custodial sentence.
• One institutional case has been adjourned to July 13 after a not guilty plea.

These figures show that the Assembly is not treating sanitation enforcement as a symbolic campaign. People are being arrested, convicted and fined. That makes the condition of the court's own urinal even more significant. When penalties are real, the standards behind them must also be real.

Sanitation enforcement in Kumasi is necessary. The city has long battled waste management, open drains, poor disposal habits and weak compliance with basic environmental health rules. But enforcement works best when it is paired with institutional example. Residents are more likely to accept strict action when the Assembly and its related institutions demonstrate the same discipline in their own spaces.

The court urinal controversy should therefore not derail the sanitation campaign. It should sharpen it. KMA now has a chance to show that samansaman is not only about punishing residents, but about raising standards across the metropolis, including within public institutions.

If the promised washroom is delivered quickly and maintained properly, the Assembly can recover from the criticism. If the matter is allowed to drag, the public will remember the contradiction more than the campaign. In sanitation enforcement, credibility is part of the work. Kumasi cannot clean the city by summons alone. It must also lead by example.