Claim: Multiple sources say the female bus driver who drove Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in an electric bus was a trained head porter localised as “Kayayoo.”
Verdict: False. JUSTFACT GHANA’s investigation showed that the female bus driver, identified as Mary Lalako Agboli, was not a head porter, as alleged. In a Feb. 23, 2020, video posted by Accra-based Citi FM on YouTube, Mary disclosed that she had been driving for “four months.” Although she is said to have participated in a drivers’ training programme, Mary has not been a “kayayoo.” Also, one of the claimants, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, who heads the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), said he described Mary as a trained kayayoo in error.
Background
Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, commissioned electric buses for public transport on Nov. 27, 2024.
A highlight of the ceremony was when a female bus driver drove the 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) Presidential candidate in one of the buses.
Later, it was reported that the female driver was a head porter localised as “Kayayoo” who participated in the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP)’s Kayayei Empowerment Programme (KEP) where they completed a training programme on driving.
The term Kayayei is the Ghanaian version of a head porter, referring to women or girls who carry customers’ goods in selected areas across the country.
See news reports here, here, here, and here about a trained Kayayo driving Dr Bawumia.
Also, the claim went viral on social media see here, here, here, here and here.
Commenting on the claim, an X (formerly Twitter) user, Abdul Hameed, quizzed,
“When did this girl become kayaye?
Investigations
JUSTFACT GHANA’s investigation showed that the female bus driver, identified as Mary Lalako Agboli, was not a head porter, as alleged.
In a Feb. 23, 2020, video posted by Accra-based Citi FM on YouTube, Mary disclosed that she had been driving for “four months.”
This means Mary started driving in October 2019, not 2024 as alleged.
See minutes 2:34 to 3:25 of the video posted on YouTube by the media outlet which the social media platform data showed had been viewed 1,725 times as of Nov. 28, 2024.
Although it is claimed that she participated in a drivers’ training programme in 2017, Mary has not been a “Kayayoo” and did not participate in the Kayayei Empowerment Programme (KEP) as alleged.
Reacting to the claim during an interview with Accra-based Metro TV, Mary disclosed that she had not been a head porter or a Kayayoo, as alleged.
“No, please. I was not,” Mary said, responding to whether she was once a head porter or “Kayayoo.”
See here for the video interview Mary shared on YouTube.
Also, one of the claimants, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, who heads the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), said he described Mary as a trained Kayayoo in error.
In a Facebook post, Mr Nkansah said his earlier communication about Mary being a head porter who underwent a training programme resulted from a “communication error and wasn’t meant to mislead people.”
“The lady [Mary] driving is rather part of the first batch of female drivers GAPTE [Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive] trained in 2017,” he said.
The Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE) operates the intra-city transport service, Ayalolo.
It was established to coordinate urban passenger transport activities in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and to facilitate the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system.
Similarly, two Accra-based media organisations that reported the claim on their websites, Adomonline and Myjoyonline, deleted the stories.
Conclusion
The female bus driver, identified as Mary Lalako Agboli, who drove Ghana’s Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, during the commissioning of electric buses in Accra, was not a trained head porter or a “Kayayoo,” as alleged
