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.