There are kings in Ghana - Obiri Boahen lists Otumfuo, Awomefia, Ya Naa, two others

Nana Obiri Boahen, a lawyer and former Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has waded into the ongoing controversy around whether or not there are kings in Ghana.

According to him, even though officially there are no traditional leaders with the title of king, the little history and knowledge that he has leads him to the conclusion that five paramount chiefs in Ghana can be considered kings.

"In my view, Anlo has a king, this is my little history and knowledge. Ashanti has a king, Yagbonwura, Nayiri and Ya Naa; these five are kings and I am not disputing that whoever else is not a king," he said in a radio interview shared on Dadzie Multimedia Facebook page.

Obiri Boahen was speaking on a recent fundraiser by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, known as the 'Heal Komfo Anokye Project,' where he is raising US$10 million to renovate the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi.

"What Otumfuo has done is very good," the lawyer stressed. Emphasizing that it is time traditional authorities step in to champion such causes.

"When these leaders step in, the political divide unites... it is good that these traditional leaders join in," he stressed.

He explained that just as the Otumfuo had done, the Yagbonwura could do the same for the Damongo Hospital, Nalerigu Hospital by Nayiri. Tamale Hospital by Ya Naa, Ho Hospital by the Anlo King, the Awomefia.

"The Anlo (leader) is a King, from the history that I know," he stressed.

On the issue of traditional authority stepping in to help protect public infrastructure, he defended his view stating thus: "Ghanaians are tired with the politicians because they use projects and issues to campaign and deploy contractors and communicators for parochial interests," he added.

There is no king in Ghana - Historian Frimpong Anokye

Yaw Anokye Frimpong, a lawyer and a historian, in a recent interview with GhanaWeb explained why Otumfuo cannot be considered a king in the strict sense.

According to him, the Asantehene is not a king because the Ashanti Kingdom, which used to be very prominent in the past, no longer exists and the laws of the country, which the Otumfuo himself is subject to, do not support the establishment of kings.

“The words kingdom and king are not in Ghana’s chieftaincy laws and regulations. Because to be a king means to be the head of a kingdom, and to have a kingdom means you have a king who has his own parliament, who has got his own judiciary and has an executive under him and the people of the country are subject to him without question.

“With this maybe you would remember some of the Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and others, we don’t have that (kings) in Ghana and that is why the words kingdom and king are missing from our laws,” he said.

He added that “properly speaking he (Otumfuo) is not a king because he is subject to the parliament of Ghana, and courts and whatever; as opposed to King Charles of England, over there he is the King of England and parliament would make bills for him to sign before they become law… He (King Charles) is the head of state of United Kingdom, the Asantehene is not the head of state of Ghana, and his powers do not go beyond the frontiers of the Ashanti land”.

The historian, however, noted that the Asantehene is a “super paramount chief” because he has powers that no other paramount chief in Ghana has.

He said that the Otumfuo, unlike other paramount chiefs in the country, is the kingmaker of all the stools under his jurisdiction - the Ashanti land - and can enstool or destool any paramount chief under him if he wishes.