The recent devastating floods that swept through parts of Accra following days of heavy rainfall have once again sparked a national conversation about the true causes of the perennial disaster.
Amid the ongoing discussions, Ghanaian rapper and entrepreneur Kwaw Kese has publicly challenged President John Dramani Mahama’s remarks on the issue.
The floods, which left several communities submerged, displaced thousands of residents, and disrupted transport across the capital, have been attributed by authorities to unusually intense rainfall recorded in late June 2026.
In a video shared on social media, Kwaw Kese urged Ghanaians to openly confront the underlying causes of the recurring floods, stressing that silence was no longer an option as citizens continue to suffer the consequences.
“We’ve been quiet for some time now and I think currently, some things are going on in the country and we need to speak up. We have to talk because the floods affect all of us. Mr President, I greet you. In Ghana here, we all love you as our president,” he said.
Responding directly to President Mahama’s earlier assertion that Accra’s flooding was not primarily an engineering problem, the rapper disagreed, insisting that structural deficiencies in the capital’s drainage and bridge systems cannot be overlooked.
“There’s a statement you made that the problems we have in Accra about the flood are not an engineering problem. The truth is, there’s a lot of engineering problems in the city concerning our gutters and bridges. Maybe you haven’t seen some of them, but I can give you an example,” he stated.
Kwaw Kese cited the ongoing construction of the Klagon Bridge as a case in point, arguing that the design could worsen water flow in the area rather than improve it.
“An example is the Klagon Bridge that they’re doing right now. If anybody drives around that bridge, park and check. The contractor decided to use culverts to channel the water, instead of allowing enough space for the water to pass beneath the bridge. That has blocked the passage of the water. If you see the weight of the water that they used culverts to block and direct it, that is not good engineering,” he said.
He further pointed to the broader state of drainage systems across Accra, describing many gutters as poorly designed, undersized, or ending abruptly without proper outlets, which he believes makes flooding unavoidable during heavy rains.
“Secondly, check our gutters. We have gutters that lead to nowhere and that’s also an engineering problem. Some gutters are so tiny and they’re also not covered, so if it rains heavily, it will definitely cause flooding,” he added.
While acknowledging that human activities such as building on waterways and indiscriminate waste disposal have worsened the situation, Kwaw Kese insisted these factors should not be isolated as the sole causes of the crisis.
He also cautioned against demolition-based solutions, arguing that such measures could lead to widespread displacement if not carefully planned, given how extensively waterways run through parts of the capital.