Thursday, 4th December, 2025
Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh
Nsawam/Adoagyiri
Mr Speaker, thank you.
I begin with a quotation from the scriptures, Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”.
Mr Speaker, today, with hearts weighed down by grief, yet lifted by gratitude, we bid farewell to our colleague, brother and friend, the Hon Ernest Kumi. His passing on 7th July, 2025, remains a deep wound in our collective spirit. A reminder of the fragility of life and the profound impact of life lived with purpose. Hon Kumi’s journey to Parliament was not merely a political ascent.
It was a story of a man who refused to quit. A man whose resolve was stronger than the storms that confronted him. He was a fighter in every sense, principled, courageous, and anchored family in the belief that God’s time is always the best. He contested the 2020 General Elections and narrowly lost. Yet, as was his nature, he rose again. He won the confidence of his party as the 2024 parliamentary candidate on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Mr Speaker, in December 2024, the good people of Akwatia spoke clearly and overwhelmingly, entrusting him with their mandate. Even when his victory was challenged, he stood undoubted. As a learning Colleague of the noble legal profession who valued the supremacy of the courts and the rule of law, he fought calmly and courageously through the legal processes until justice prevailed. 2:05 p.m. That was Yaw, a fighter, resilient and unwavering.
On 7th January, 2025, he took the Oath of Office, affirming what his people already knew. He was a legitimate Member of Parliament for Akwatia. In Parliament, he served diligently on the Committee on Lands and Natural Resources and other assignments. Whether at the Committee level or on the Floor, he distinguished himself for brilliance, clarity and deep insight. Despite heckling and needless interruptions, he spoke with the calm authority of a man who understood his duty. He debated with wisdom, argued with conviction, and carried himself with dignity.
Indeed, he was an orator of uncommon grace. But beyond his words was his spirit, a spirit that taught us his Colleagues priceless lessons. His life taught us to fight on, no matter the odds. His steady demeanour encouraged us to persevere even when the path seemed impossible. His focus reminded us that victory belongs to those who refuse to be distracted.
In these moments, when our Caucus carries an enormous weight of holding the Government accountable, though few in number, yet mighty and quality in purpose, his example reassures us that we shall reach the seats of victory soon. He has left us not only memories, but motivation; not only sorrow, but strength for the journey ahead. His life itself becomes a message to us: Do not give up. Do not fear the overbearing Majority; stand firm, for truth, discipline, and courage will always prevail.
Mr Speaker, beyond the walls of the Chamber, Mr Kumi was a brother, always available, always willing to help, always ready to join a colleague’s campaign, no matter how far the constituency, no matter how tight his schedule. His selflessness was inspiring. His discipline was unwavering, a man who respected time and honoured every obligation.
Mr Speaker, today, as we honour his public life, we cannot ignore the deep personal loss felt by those closest to him. To his aged mother, who nurtured him into the man who we came to admire, we say, your son fought a good fight, finished his course, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Take comfort in knowing that the values you instilled in him, courage, humility, truth, became the very qualities that defined his service to Ghana.
To his wife, a woman of quiet strength, who stood faithfully beside him through every political battle and personal challenge, may God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, continue to guard your heart. Philippians 4:7; know that you are not alone, the Minority Caucus stands firmly with thee. To his lovely children, who must now grow with the memory of a father who loved them deeply and worked tirelessly to give them a better future, your father’s legacy lives in you. Walk proudly, for he was a man of honour. We, his colleagues, will always remain within reach. As fathers, as uncles, as guides, and as pillars you can lean on. To the entire Kumi family, may the God of all comfort wrap his arms around you. This loss is heavy, but you do not carry it alone.
As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus, we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the family, not only in this season of grief, but in the many days and years to come. Mr Ernest Yaw Kumi was one of us. His family is our family. His children are our children. His memory is our shared inheritance. Mr Speaker, Mr Kumi lived well, he served well, he loved well. And though he has left our side, his legacy will remain a shining light in Parliament, in Akwatia and in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing him.
I thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Eric Edem Agbana
Ketu North
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statements in memory of my dear Friend and Brother, Mr Ernest Yaw Kumi.
Mr Speaker, long before we were sworn in on 7th January, 2025, as Members of the 9th Parliament, Mr Ernest Kumi and I had been very good friends. We have appeared in the media on numerous occasions, and on many occasions after our debates in the media, we drove to restaurants to have breakfast or lunch together, and we have always been very good friends for so long.
Mr Speaker, in 2023, I was in Pretoria for a programme, and after he noticed the posts I made on social media, he called me and said he was in Johannesburg. He drove all the way from Johannesburg to Pretoria just to meet me, and that, for me, defines how deep our friendship was beyond politics. Mr Speaker, my pain at the loss of Mr Ernest Kumi goes beyond just losing a colleague in the House of Parliament, but it is a pain that also cuts deep, because since I got to know him, he had always had one dream: to become a lawyer.
On many occasions, he encouraged me to pick forms to study the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme, and I kept postponing it. For close to 10 years, he dedicated his life to the study of the law. When he got admission to the Ghana School of Law, Makola, we all celebrated with him. The first time he was supposed to, he had to repeat and a few others—To cut a long story short, after so many years of struggling to be called to the Bar, just when the battle was over and he was supposed to be called to the Bar in October, a few weeks before, we lost him. It is a pain that we cannot explain.
Mr Speaker, on this occasion, I want to remind all of us that indeed, on days like this, we should remember that this life is not ours, but it belongs to the Almighty God. Beyond politics, Ernest was truly a reliable friend and a brother, and many of my Colleagues would attest to the fact that usually during lunch or when we are on break, they saw me sitting with him at the cafeteria, sharing a meal or a drink. He was a gentleman who lived beyond party politics and who was a true friend to those of us who were close to him.
I wish to remind all of us that even as we find ourselves here on tickets of political parties, we should always remember that we are first and foremost Ghanaians, we are human beings, and we must first love one another before we place our partisan politics ahead of whatever national interests.
Mr Speaker, I wish his young wife and his family the very best. I pray that God grants them strength. Indeed, it will be very difficult to lay Ernest to rest this weekend. I pray that the Lord God Almighty himself will strengthen his family, his party, the NPP, and our Friends in the Minority. We pray that his legacy should live beyond him. The goal of life is not to live forever, but to create something that will outlive us.
Mr Speaker, with these words, I say thank you for the opportunity.
Hon Kingsley Nyarko
Kwadaso
Mr Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to share a few words as we celebrate the memory of our wonderful brother, Ernest Yaw Kumi, who used to be the Member of Parliament for the good people of Akwatia.
Mr Speaker, Ernest Yaw Kumi, popularly known as the “Akwatia Star Boy”, was born on 5th December, 1984, and today is 4th December, so tomorrow, he would have been 41 years old. This was a young gentleman full of passion, energy, and drive, and his academic prowess was so telling. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Ports and Shipping Administration from the Vietnam Maritime University in 2009, he went ahead to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Corporate Governance from the University of Professional Studies. He also obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Mountcrest University College and a Master of Science (MSc) in Defence and International Politics from Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
Mr Speaker, looking at his pedigree and what he achieved and obtained on the academic ladder, I can say that we have lost a gem. We lost somebody who, for the brevity of life and death, will have contributed enormously, not only for his Constituency and its region, but for the entire nation. We are going to miss him, and standing here this afternoon, I am saddened because by paying tribute to him, I am recollecting that since I came to this Parliament on the 7th January, 2021, we have lost four precious souls. It began with the MP for Kumawu, Hon Philip Basoah, my classmate at Secondary School, Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School, then our very good friend, John Kumah, Hon Member for Ejisu, then Ernest Yaw Kumi, Hon Member for Akwatia, and our friend, Murtala Muhammed.
Mr Speaker, for the first three, I remember clearly that we had a Sitting that ended around 11 p.m. We were supposed to take a vote, which did not happen, and it was rescheduled for the next day. I met Philip Basoah in the washroom, and I asked him how things were. He said he was fine, and the next day, Philip was gone. John Kumah was agile and hardworking. Few moments, he departed. Ernest had a programme at Takoradi; he came back on Sunday. The next day, he was gone. What is wrong? Is it that we as MPs are not doing something right? Probably, it is time for us to do a deep introspection and see if we can do something differently regarding our lives, and how we execute our parliamentary responsibilities.
Mr Speaker, life is short. It means that every moment and second of our lives is precious. So if we have something to do, we must do it now, and not tomorrow. Now Ernest is gone, we do not know who will be next, but we are praying to God to give us the strength and power to, at least, put our respective quotas to make this country more meaningful. As we celebrate our Brother, all we can say is that may God give him comfort and lasting peace, wherever he is.
To his family, especially his wife and children, may God provide them with the fortitude, a resolute mind and clear direction, so that they will not remain comfortless, and the almighty God, who is the source of our being, will comfort them. I want to plead with our Leadership. Ernest was in this House for about six months. That is so sad. Perhaps, in the Fourth Republic, he might be the MP who spent a short time in the House. I might be wrong, but that is what I am thinking. So our Caucus, and even the entire House, must take delight in helping the children and the remaining spouse of our Brother, so that we can do something meaningful to memorialise his legacy. Hon Ernest, I bid you godspeed.
May God be with you and strengthen you, till we meet again someday. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Fred Kwesi Agbenyo
Guan
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to add my voice to the Statement made in eulogising the memory of our Brother, our friend, our comrade, and our colleague, Ernest Yaw Kumi.
Indeed, we are on a journey. The day we depart this planet Earth, nobody knows. The way it will come, we do not know. When? We do not know. But it is important to remind ourselves that, indeed, we are on a journey. Hitherto, we thought that one would be 90 years and above before one passes on. It is evidently clear today that the young are departing, the old are departing; everybody is departing.
Mr Speaker, I knew Ernest Yaw Kumi for some time, especially because of our media engagement. Ernest is one person I can describe as very passionate when it comes to NPP politics; he will defend the NPP at all costs. But the most beautiful thing about him is his warm personality, because after the debates in the studios, he will walk up to his opponents, and where he disagrees, he will share with his opponent. He will discuss politics, business and academic life.
Mr Speaker, a day before his passing, I met Ernest. Then he said in Twi, MP kakra a mese mɛdi nti, mo atwe me wᴐ fᴐm saa. Me se, ԑbԑ yԑ yie, ԑkaho bi. To wit, just because I want to be an MP, you have taken me through all this ordeal. I encouraged him that it is part of life. Now, life is a struggle. Life is war and if we are looking forward to a peaceful life, then, of course, we should look forward to a cemetery or a coffin to go and lie in the cemetery. From the day we are born to the day we exit this planet, we will go through a lot of challenges. All of us would have wished that our brother Ernest were in this House with us.
The very few months he spent in this House, Mr Speaker, Ernest did not allow this House to intimidate him. Any time he had an opportunity on the Floor, we saw the confidence with which he made his presentation, as though he was someone who had been in this House for a very long time. So with time, it was very clear that we would all become better and better. But, as fate would have it, he left us when we least expected him to do so.
So, we can only take a cue from this, that the work we are doing is very demanding. I cannot remember the last day I went to bed before it was 2 a.m. and I woke up very early. It is incumbent on all of us to take our health very seriously. We should enter the hospital and check. We should know exactly what our health condition is. Sometimes, we close very late, we are hungry and we go eat and sleep immediately. The time to even exercise itself is a problem. We love Ghana so much that we want to serve Ghana, but we can only do so when we are in good health. So, let me use this opportunity to call on all of us that even as we struggle to serve our constituencies and serve Mother Ghana, our health should be our number one priority.
Let me also use this opportunity, Mr Speaker, to pray for his wife and children, that God in heaven should strengthen them and keep them. One of the things I have noticed for the many years I have been in politics is that when it happens like this, beautiful speeches are given, people gather at the funeral ground in the party colours and do all the fanfare, as soon as their body is lowered into the grave, that is the end of the story. Our brother Kumi has young children. It is incumbent on us to assist the wife and to take care of those children. It will not be out of place if Parliament can even put a mechanism in place where when such things happen, Parliament can extend a hand of support, especially for the young children to go through education.
I believe the New Patriotic Party that he belongs to as well, will not go to Akwatia, have the burial and come back home. The future of his children is very key. We should not leave the burden on the woman alone. Let us do everything possible so that the children will not miss their father too much. I wish his soul well. May he rest peacefully in the bosom of Father Abraham.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah
Ofoase Ayirebi
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity, and it is with a heavy heart that we all contribute to this Statement in tribute to our brother, Ernest Yaw Kumi.
One of the reasons for which those of us who had personal relations with him are so much pained is the fact that he was a man of many dreams. Unfortunately, a good number of them were not fulfilled before his passing. He had dreams of becoming a lawyer, and spent many years going through the LLB and even through the Qualifying Certificate in Law (QCL) preparations. Just on the verge of his qualification, in fact, a day to his moot court, the good Lord called him. For those of us who are familiar, he had personal business dreams. He had just reached the edge of securing the necessary paperwork for the next stage of his business. Unfortunately, it did not materialise. He was just on the verge of putting his daughter in Senior High School. Unfortunately, he did not have the opportunity to see her first day at school. He had dreams of building a good parliamentary career, and he would come around Leaders and seniors getting guidance, et cetera, even before the election. Unfortunately, as he was sworn in, there were a lot of legal battles. He did not have the opportunity to fully express that parliamentary career.
He was a man of deep conviction and big dreams, but death has snatched him away from his family, from his region, from his party and from his nation. Mr Speaker, if there is any glimmer of hope, it would be the fact that, again, for those who know him, he is somebody who had accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour. We take consolation in the fact that he will rest in the bosom of the Lord. There are a couple of lessons that I believe we can learn and implement as our best tribute to Yaw, the first being his courage. No matter the difficulty or the impediment you put in his way, Yaw was a man of courage. From his first primaries, to the main election, to the court battles— I remember the days when we would go to court with him in Koforidua, and the days when he would not go to the Supreme Court, but upon return, we would be having conversations.
He was a man of courage, no matter what you put him through. Even we remember the night before our swearing-in here, when the question was put to him by the Clerk, he was a man of courage and he said he would stand up and do what he believed was right. I believe that the biggest testament we can give to his life is to reflect his courage in the endeavours ahead of us. He was also a man of selflessness. In fact, the Thursday before his unfortunate demise, Hon Agyare, Hon Kumi and I had a conversation on the 11th floor. His focus was on how to find some money to pay some school fees for some constituents of his.
The Friday, he left town to go attend a youth programme to be of use to young people in the Western Region, and to assist another member of Parliament in his course. His selflessness is something that I believe that we can carry on as our biggest testament to him. We pray for strength, especially this weekend, for his wife and the children, and for the legacy that he has left behind, as short as it was. We pray that the Lord gives us strength to carry it forward.
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Collins Dauda
Asutifi South
Mr Speaker, I add my voice to the tribute being made on the Floor in honour of Hon Ernest Kumi.
I want to say that the news of his death came to me as a shock. Before his death, the Committee on Lands and Natural Resources had a retreat in the Akropong area, at the Safari Valley Resort, where he actively participated. It was my last encounter with Ernest Kumi. It is not just his participation, but on that day, I recall, during break, Mr Ernest Kumi walked to me and said he wanted to find time to come to my office to see me. I asked what he was coming to discuss and he indicated that he wanted to stay in this House for long, like I have been, and that he wanted to learn some strategies with which he could stay very long in this House. That was Mr Kumi’s ambition, to stay long in Parliament, not just for the interest of staying in this House for long, but to be able to serve his people for very long.
Unfortunately, he did not live to do what he planned to do. He was called to eternity. We can only say that may Allah accept his soul and keep him well for us. His life has ended. That is how, in my view and according to my belief, he was destined to live on this earth. He has left some legacies. His courage, his determination and what he planned for his constituents must be held. We were all his friends, so whatever we can do to keep some of his dreams, we should come together and do it. In particular, he left the wife and the children. When it happens like this, it becomes very difficult for the woman. I am sure she is devastated and needs comfort.
I call on Leadership. They prevailed on the Speaker to constitute an ad-hoc Committee to look into the establishment of a pension scheme for MPs. This situation raises concern for that. The Committee has worked, a Report has been produced and it is yet to be taken. It is a very important report that this House put every seriousness to so that we can take care of ourselves when we are weak, incapacitated or no more. I am sure Leadership will do well to bring up this report, so that we drive it forward to ensure that some situations like this would be properly taken care of.
I wish Mr Ernest Kumi well wherever he is. May he rest in peace. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
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