Parliament pays tribute to former Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo MP Duut Emmanuel Kwame

Parliament has paid tribute to the late former Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo Member of Parliament, Duut Emmanuel Kwame, praising his decades of service to education, humanity and national development.

The tribute was led by the current Member of Parliament for Bunkpurugu, Dr. Abed-Nego Lamangin Bandim, in a statement delivered to the House on Friday, July 31, 2026.

Dr Bandim described Duut, who was widely known as Teacher Yupiong, as a modest and principled leader whose generosity and dedication to public service had a lasting effect on the communities he represented.

Before entering politics, Duut spent almost 30 years working as a teacher. Dr Bandim said that experience shaped the discipline, honesty and commitment to developing future generations that later characterised his public life.

Duut was elected in 2008 to represent the then Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo Constituency in the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic. According to Dr Bandim, he carried the same values into Parliament and remained focused on improving the lives of his constituents.

His commitment to the people, however, did not end when his time in office came to a close. Dr Bandim said the former MP personally paid for the education of several students, honouring pledges he had made while serving in Parliament.

He also supported widows, persons living with disabilities and other vulnerable people in his community. The assistance, Dr Bandim said, continued even after donor-funded welfare programmes had come to an end, with Duut using his own resources to maintain support.

“The life of Hon. Duut Emmanuel Kwame teaches us that true leadership is measured not by political office but by the impact one leaves on the lives of others,” Dr. Bandim stated.

The late legislator was also remembered as a committed Christian, a devoted family man and a respected community leader. Dr Bandim said his calm character and pursuit of peace earned him respect beyond party political divisions.

He called on present and future leaders to follow Duut’s example by showing humility, honesty and selflessness in public service. His life, Dr Bandim added, demonstrated that political office should be regarded as a responsibility to serve citizens rather than an opportunity to pursue personal interests.

The Bunkpurugu MP extended his condolences to Duut’s widow and children, as well as to the wider Duut family and the people of Najong.

He also offered sympathy to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and to everyone mourning the former parliamentarian.

Parliament later observed a minute’s silence in memory of Duut Emmanuel Kwame and other former Members of Parliament who had died.