Ernest Kumi, the sitting Member of Parliament for Akwatia in Ghana’s Eastern Region, has been confirmed dead at the age of 40.
Dr. Mahama Tiah Kabiru, MP for Walewale verified the news to 3news parliamentary correspondent on Monday, July 7, 2025.
Kumi was a rising figure within the New Patriotic Party (NPP), having secured the Akwatia parliamentary seat in the 2024 general elections. He had previously unseated the incumbent in the 2023 NPP primaries.
His death comes just months after the Supreme Court overturned a contempt conviction against him in June 2025. The earlier conviction in February 2025 had stemmed from his defiance of an injunction that barred him from being sworn into Parliament. The Supreme Court’s 4–1 majority decision ruled that the initial judgment was affected by judicial bias, thereby clearing him to fully resume his parliamentary responsibilities.
Before entering politics, Ernest Kumi had a robust academic background, holding multiple degrees including an MSc in Defence and International Politics, an MBA in Corporate Governance, an LLB, and a BSc in Ports and Shipping Administration. In Parliament, he served on both the Lands and Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee.
The circumstances surrounding his death have not yet been disclosed.
