Kyebi residents drink water with pigs — Deputy Lands Minister claims

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Bole Bamboi and Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, has stated that the people of Kyebi in the Eastern Region once drank water from the same source as pigs, sparking a significant debate in Parliament.

The comment, which was stated during a discussion about the effects of illicit mining (galamsey), has drawn harsh criticism, calls for its retraction, and a robust public response from the youth in Kyebi who have used historical documents to refute the assertion.

Yusif Sulemana remarked on the floor of Parliament on Friday, November 21, 2015, in response to concerns raised about the deteriorating health of water bodies as a result of unlawful mining activities.

In an attempt to highlight what he regarded as President John Dramani Mahama's interventions during his first term, he asserted that "the people of Kyebi were drinking water with pigs" until Mahama's administration's intervention.

His remark instantly generated commotion on the floor, forcing Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh to raise a point of order.

Frank Annoh-Dompreh called the comment "unfounded, offensive, and disrespectful," emphasizing that such severe claims must be supported by facts.

He claimed that if the Deputy Minister could not back up his assertions, he should withdraw the statement and apologize to the people of Kyebi and the entire Eastern Region.

“He made a definite statement. If he wants to stand by it, then he must provide evidence. Otherwise, the comment must be withdrawn and expunged from the records,” Annoh-Dompreh stressed.

The First Deputy Speaker, Hon. Bernard Ahiafo, subsequently ordered that the remark be removed from the official Parliamentary Hansard.

During the same debate, Frank Annoh-Dompreh also renewed his call for weekly Parliamentary briefings on the galamsey crisis, arguing that the situation has grown so dire that Parliament must receive consistent updates.

He said only continuous reporting and transparency from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the security agencies, and the Minerals Commission would ensure accountability and meaningful progress in the fight against illegal mining.

Outside Parliament, the Deputy Minister’s comments sparked an uproar in Kyebi, where youth groups and opinion leaders mobilized to “set the record straight.”

In a strongly worded statement, the youth described the MP’s claim as “false, malicious, and a deliberate distortion of history meant to score political points.”

They insisted that no period in Kyebi’s history supports the assertion that residents drank from water sources shared with animals.

According to them, Kyebi has had a functional water treatment system since 1971, constructed under the Busia administration.

In 2014, the Mahama government expanded the existing facility to increase capacity—it did not replace contaminated or shared water sources, as the MP suggested.

The youth argued that a simple review of historical records would have prevented the Deputy Minister from making what they called “an embarrassing and uninformed statement.”

They further challenged Sulemana to consult the Ghana Statistical Service’s Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index.

According to them, a sectoral analysis would reveal that his own constituency faces some of the worst developmental challenges in the country, making his claim about Kyebi even more unfounded.

To reinforce their point, they outlined a timeline of water infrastructure projects in the Akyem Abuakwa enclave.

They noted that former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2008 initiated the Koforidua Water Supply System through a mixed credit facility with KBC Bank, benefiting communities including Old Tafo, New Tafo, Kukurantumi, Suhyen, Jumapo, and Anyinasin.

Later, in 2011, the Atta Mills administration expanded the project using a credit facility from Unicredit of Austria to include Kyebi, Apedwa, and surrounding areas.

They emphasized that former President Mahama never presented any water supply project for Kyebi to Parliament.

The youth concluded that the Deputy Minister’s remarks were not only false but also disrespectful to the Okyenhene, the people of Akyem Abuakwa, and former President Akufo-Addo, who hails from Kyebi.

They maintained that such falsehoods weaken national unity and degrade the quality of political debate.

Credit: Wontumionline.com