The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has formally informed Parliament about the death of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia, Ernest Kumi, earlier on July 7.
He said, the deceased MP was not known to be ill.
“It is a sad day, especially when he has not been ill. But as we say, God knows best,” he said on the floor of the House on July 7.
“He was born in 1984, and within this short life has achieved a lot,” Afenyo-Markin added.
For his part, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga noted that the loss of the Akwatia MP, is one that affects the entire Parliament.
“He was a Member of Parliament, before being a member of the Minority Caucus, so the loss is not just to the Minority, it is a loss to Parliament,” the Bawku Central MP noted.
The House has since adjourned proceedings to July 8 in the forenoon.
The late Ernest Kumi was confirmed dead in the morning of July 7.
The news was verified by Dr. Mahama Tiah Kabiru, MP for Walewale to 3news parliamentary correspondent on Monday, July 7, 2025.
Kumi, 40, was a rising figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), having won the Akwatia parliamentary seat in the 2024 general elections with 19,269 votes, defeating the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Henry Yiadom Boakye, who polled 17,206 votes.
He had earlier secured the NPP nomination in 2023 after unseating incumbent Ama Sey in the party primaries.
His death comes just months after a protracted legal battle over his eligibility to serve as MP. In February 2025, the Koforidua High Court convicted him for contempt after he defied an injunction that barred him from being sworn into Parliament. A bench warrant was issued after he failed to appear for sentencing.
However, in June 2025, the Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a 4–1 majority decision, ruling that the initial judgment was affected by judicial bias. The decision cleared the way for him to fully resume parliamentary duties.
Before his political career, Ernest Kumi built a strong academic and professional foundation. 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 Regional Maritime University (2009).
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.
