Ernest Yaw Kumi (5 Decemberâ¯1984 â 7 Julyâ¯2025) was a Ghanaian politician who represented the Akwatia constituency in Parliament from January until his death in July 2025. A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), he won the closely contested Decemberâ¯2024 election.
Kumi was born in 1984 in Akyem Wenchi in Ghana. He studied at the Regional Maritime University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Ports and Shipping Administration in 2009. He later pursued a Master of Business Administration in Corporate Governance at the University of Professional Studies in 2014. In 2019, he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Mountcrest University College. He also completed a Master of Science in Defence and International Politics from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College in 2022.
Kumi contested and won the Akwatia seat in Decemberâ¯2024, defeating incumbent Henry Yiadom Boakye of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with approximately 19,269 votes to Boakye's 17,206.
Kumi briefly faced a High Court injunction in Januaryâ¯2025 that barred him from being sworn in. He was subsequently convicted of contempt in February 2025, and a bench warrant was issued. His party appealed, and the Supreme Court overturned the ruling in a 4âÂÂ1 decision in Juneâ¯2025, restoring his parliamentary status and barring further sentencing.
Kumi died after a brief illness on 7 July 2025, at the age of 40.