Pathetic! The 20-year-old Kayayo remained under the bags of rice from morning to evening…
It is the pathetic story of a 20-year-old Kayayo, Rahinatu Alhassan who serves customers in a shop at Adum, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
It was reported that the female head porter went into the warehouse Tuesday morning to get a load when some bags of rice fell on her, with none around to rescue.
The 20-year-old kayayo had remained under the weight until evening time when another shop attendant discovered her in an attempt to serve a customer. She was then rushed to the Komfo Anokye teaching Hospital, but unfortunately died on arrival.
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Narrating the ugly incident to Accra-based Class Fm, one of Rahinatu’s colleagues said she noticed Rahi was no where to be found when she came back from a trip, and asked one of their colleagues about her whereabouts but got no reply.
According to her, the fellow kayayo she asked about Rahi also turned around to ask of her few minutes later. But since none of them had any information of where she could be, they assumed she may have carried a customer’s load and is yet to be back.
… I assumed Rahi had carried a load of a customer and was not yet back. Later in the day, one of the attendants here went into the shop to pick a bag of rice and noticed someone was on the floor with heavy bags of rice on her. He screamed and called for help. The guys at the nearby shops came around, lifted the bags and quickly rushed her to the hospital.”
Rahi’s body has since been deposited at the morgue ahead of burial according to Islamic rites. Our condolences to the bereaved family.
Head portery appears to be one of the most popular and lucrative menial business for unskilled labourers in Ghana. Kayayei as it is commonly called is the local name for porters in Ghana, especially the females among them.
These porters usually come from hinterlands and rural communities, to search for menial work in the more developed towns and cities of the country. Statistics however, reveal that most of them are natives of the three northern regions of Ghana – Upper East, Upper West and Norther Region.
The increasing numbers and massive influx of these women and teenage girls into big cities like Kumasi and Accra can be said to be one of the numerous results of the massive rate of unemployment in the country.
This has become a cause of serious worry as theses “burden bearers” most of whom are teenagers and women of child bearing age, are on a daily basis, exposed to dangerous and harsh living conditions.
Howbeit, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection under the current Akufo-Addo government, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba strongly holds a promise of making lives better for the head porters. We sincerely hope she keeps to her word.
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