Akwatia MP, Ernest Kumi is dead

By Joylinda Laryea / July 7,2025

Ernest Kumi, the Member of Parliament for Akwatia in the Eastern Region, has died at the age of 40. His death was confirmed on Monday, July 7, 2025.

Kumi, a first-time legislator on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), passed away after a short illness. The exact circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been disclosed, but parliamentary sources say he was active in Parliament just last week.

The news of his passing has sent shockwaves through the political community, especially within the NPP, where he was regarded as a rising star. Kumi secured the Akwatia seat in the 2024 general elections with 19,269 votes, defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Henry Yiadom Boakye, who garnered 17,206 votes. He had earlier unseated incumbent MP Ama Sey in the 2023 NPP primaries.

Kumi’s time in Parliament was marked by controversy. In February 2025, the Koforidua High Court convicted him for contempt after he defied an interim injunction barring him from being sworn in as MP. A bench warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest after he failed to appear for sentencing. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction in June 2025 by a 4–1 majority, citing judicial bias in the earlier ruling. The decision paved the way for him to fully assume his parliamentary duties.

Despite his short time in Parliament, Kumi served on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee, where colleagues say his contributions were impactful and thoughtful.

Before entering politics, Ernest Kumi built an impressive academic and professional profile. He held an MSc in Defence and International Politics from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (2022), an MBA in Corporate Governance from the University of Professional Studies (2014), an LLB from Mountcrest University College (2019), and a BSc in Ports and Shipping Administration from the Regional Maritime University (2009).

His sudden death is being mourned across the political divide, with tributes pouring in for a young politician whose potential was just beginning to be realized.