STMA drags over 90 landlords to court for not having toilet facility

About ninety (90) house owners will be arraigned before the court on Tuesday, November 2, for not having toilet facilities in their houses.

According to the bye-laws of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), property owners can be prosecuted for not having a place of convenience in their homes.

Mr Abdul Karim Hudu, an Environmental Health Officer for STMA in an interview with Skyy News said after several notices given to house owners to comply with the directives, the assembly has no option but to apply the law.

He said, they have no toilet facilities neither do they have replied to the notices to the assembly on their reasons.

Mr Hudu said, “MCE of the STMA gave 3-month verbal notice that every household needs to have a toilet by July 2021. After the notice expired, the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit also went back to the communities in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to give written notice of one month which they did not also comply.”

“It was for every landlord to prove they have a household toilet, bathroom and a kitchen”

He indicated that the landlords are going to appear before the court on Tuesday, November 2, and Thursday, November 4, and answer questions about why they did not comply with the notices given to them by the assembly.

The sanctions that the magistrate will impose on them will be 100 penalty units and 250 penalty units according to the STMA bye-laws. he indicated that a 100 penalty unit means you are likely to pay a fine of GHS1,200 to GHS3000.

Mr Hudu said this exercise being taken is to ensure a healthy environment in the metropolis and desist residents from defecating in open spaces that obviously leads to diseases.