The Dilemma of Survival: Young Kenyasi Youths Arrested for Motorbike Violations Amid Struggles for a Better Life

In the heart of Ahafo's Kenyasi community, where many young people wake up each day hoping for an opportunity, a recent incident has reignited the conversation about survival, justice, and systemic neglect.

Several young men in the area were arrested for allegedly riding unregistered motorbikes. While upholding the law is essential, these arrests raise a troubling question: How do we enforce laws in a community where young people are barely surviving?

For many of these youths, a motorbike is not a luxury — it's a lifeline. It’s how they make a few cedis a day delivering goods, transporting passengers, or running errands for their families. In areas where formal job opportunities are rare, these bikes offer the chance to earn an honest living.

Yet, instead of support or structured programs to help them register their bikes legally, they are met with handcuffs and criminal records.

The Hypocrisy in Enforcement

What makes matters even more contentious is a rising claim among locals: some of the very police officers making these arrests also ride unregistered personal motorbikes. While their official patrol bikes are accounted for, it’s their private ones — used off-duty — that are allegedly not registered.

If true, this raises serious concerns about selective enforcement and the credibility of authority in the eyes of the youth.

A Cry for Equity, Not Just Order

We must ask ourselves: is the goal simply to punish or to uplift?

What if, instead of arrests, authorities collaborated with local leaders to create a registration drive with discounted rates or payment plans for young riders? What if riding schools or legal literacy workshops were introduced?

The youth of Kenyasi — and many similar towns — are not running from responsibility. They are simply asking for a system that understands their reality and helps them rise from it.

Let’s be clear: safety matters. Law and order matter. But so does compassion, equity, and accountability — on all sides.