An ongoing special sanitation task force made up of technocrats and security personnel from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has secured the prosecution of 23 sanitation offenders in the metropolis.

The offenders, all first-time culprits, were fined between 100 and 140 penalty units equivalent to GHS 1,200 and GHS 1,800, depending on the severity of their offences, or in default, a 10-day prison term.

They were tried separately by the Prempeh Assembly District Court One, presided over by Ms. Deborah Gyaawa Donkoh, and Court Two, presided over by Mr. Kwaku Ansah Akrofi.

All the accused persons pleaded guilty to their respective offences when they appeared before the courts on Monday and Tuesday.

Mr. Kwaku Poku, the Head of the Environmental Health Unit of KMA, led the arrest of the 23 offenders during an exercise conducted at Dichemso on Monday, July 6, and Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

The arrests form part of the KMA’s revival of the old-time “Samansaman” system, a sanitary inspection exercise that penalises residents for failing to keep their surroundings clean.

The Assembly noted that progress on sanitation had been slow for some time, contributing to a deteriorating sanitation environment and its attendant consequences.

Having earlier announced its intention to roll out the exercise, the KMA has now followed through, as part of efforts to restore Kumasi’s status as a clean and safe city.