Sammy Awuku asks- President wasted fuel and state resources just to go and buy a ball of kenkey?

Deputy Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Sammy Awuku, insists a ball of kenkey is sold at One cedi citing places such as Tema Community 11, Community 2, and Taifa Station as evidence to his claims in support of the previous assertion that prices of kenkey have increased from 50p to GHC 1.

He described President Mills’ unforeseen visit to the three market places as just a stunt to crave attention.

“I think the President from what he is saying and from the understanding that I have, he moved the whole state machinery about fifteen cars in a convoy with state apparatus; security, just to go and buy a ball of kenkey. So, we wasted fuel [there] to go buy kenkey.” he stressed.

Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akomea, had alluded to a report by the Ghana News Agency that the prices of kenkey have soared and accused the governing party of being insensitive to the plight of the Ghanaian citizenry.

As though to rebut the claims by Nana Akomea, President John Mills on Tuesday toured some market places in Accra to assess the severe living conditions of sellers in the country.

President Mills visited Maamobi and Mallam Atta markets to interact with the food vendors and proceeded to the Nima market where he interacted with the vendors and purchased some balls of kenkey at 40 and 50 pesewas respectively.

Spokesperson for the President, Koku Anyidoho, explaining the purport of the Presidential visit told Citi News that “Some people, especially Nana Akomea in recent times have been playing kenkey politics and claiming that a ball of kenkey is now selling at GhC1, but here we are and the answer is a big no, President Mills wanted to ascertain for himself the actual price of kenkey and the answer is a big no. So shame to Nana Akomea and his kenkey politics.”

He indicated that “The President decided to step out of the Castle today [Tuesday] and visited the markets and I’m sure we all got caught up in the frenzy. It is just to touch base and he got the mandate of the market women in 2008 and he assured them that if given the chance things will move in the right direction.

He is the first to admit that he hasn’t achieved everything.”

However, Sammy Awuku told Xfm 95.1 in an interview that 50 pesewas does not reflect the size of the kenkey because its size has dwindled into a lime-like ball.

“Yes, there is 50 pesewas one but it looks like that of lime.” he asserted.

He opined that a ‘by-day’ person would not be satisfied with the small-size kenkey and therefore advised the government to resolve the pressing needs of Ghanaians.

Meanwhile, a kenkey vendor who sells her kenkey at 50p says though she is aware of the GHC 1 increment in the prices of kenkey, the price of her kenkey remains the same in order to attract more customers.

According to her, shooting up the price would prevent her patrons and cripple the kenkey business.

She said a bag of maize sells between GHC 150 and GHC 160 indicating an increase but prefers to maintain the price of her kenkey at 50p to benefit her customers and increase her yield.

Story by Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/X fm 95.1/Accra/Ghana