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Kenema District


FieldValue
official_nameKenema District
image_mapKenema District in Sierra Leone 2018.svg
map_captionLocation of Kenema District in Sierra Leone
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameSierra Leone
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Eastern Province
seat_typeCapital
seatKenema
seat1_typeLargest city
seat1Kenema
government_typeDistrict Council
leader_partySLPP
leader_title1Council Chairman
leader_name1Mohamed Amadu Sesayhttps://electiondata.io/elected-officials/chairperson (SLPP)
leader_title2Deputy Council Chairman
leader_name2Mohamed Luseni Sheriff (SLPP)http://awoko.org/2012/08/17/kenema-district-council-deputy-chair-wife-to-9-months-imprisonment/
population_footnotes
population_total772,472
population_as_of2021 census
population_rank3rd
population_density_km2auto
blank_name_sec2HDI (2017)
blank_info_sec20.393
· 6th
timezoneGreenwich Mean Time
utc_offset0

· 6th

Kenema District is a district in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Kenema, which is the third most populous city in Sierra Leone, after Freetown and Bo. Tongo is the second most populous city in the district. Other major towns in Kenema District include Blama and Yomboma. The district is the most populous district in the Eastern province with a population 772,472. Kenema District has an area of 6,053 km2 and comprises sixteen chiefdoms.

The District of Kenema borders Bo District to the west, the Republic of Liberia to the southeast, Tonkolili District and Kono District to the north, Kailahun District to the east, and Pujehun District to the southwest. The economy of Kenema District is largely based on Farming, Diamond mining and trade.

The Mende is the largest ethnic group in the district, though the district is home to a significant population of many of Sierra Leone"s ethnic groups. The population of Kenema District is majority Muslim, though the district is also home to a significant Christian minority. Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Muslims and Christians collaborate and get along very well in Kenema District.

Kenema District is a political stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). Since Independence in 1961 to present, the vast majority of the people of Kenema District support the Sierra Leone People's Party.

Kenema District is the home district of the former Chief Minister of Sierra Leone David J. Francis, who was born and raised in the city of Kenema. Kenema District is also the home of Mohamed Kallon, who was born in Kenema City, and is widely regarded as the most famous Sierra Leonean footballer of all time.

Major towns

Kenema District has four cities with a population of at least 40,000.

  • Kenema
  • Blama
  • Tongo
  • Yomboma

Government

Kenema District is governed with a district council form of government, which is headed by a District Council Chairman, who is the highest local government official in the district. The District Council Chairman is responsible for the general management of the district. The District Council Chairman is elected directly by the residents of Kenema District every four years. The current District Council Chairman of Kenema District Council is Senesi Manssary of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), who easily won the 2012 District Chairperson election with 80.30%, defeating his main opponent Doris Saffa Nyangbe of the All People's Congress (APC) who took 15.49%.

Kenema District is a reliable political stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), the main opposition party in Sierra Leone. The District overwhelmingly supports the SLPP by a large majority in Presidential, Parliamentary and local councils elections. The SLPP have won every Sierra leone presidential elections in the District by a large majority; including the 2012 Presidential election, when the SLPP presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio won 77.9% of the vote in the District, as he easily defeated the incumbent president Ernest Bai Koroma in the District who took only 18.7%.

Members of Parliament

Kenema District currently has eleven directly elected Representatives in the Sierra Leone House of Parliament; and ten of the eleven members belong to the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).

Demographics

The estimated population of Kenema District was 515,461. Kenema District population is ethnically divers, although the Mende people make up the largest ethnic group. The district of Kenema enjoys religious plurality - Muslim and Christians. Since the emergence of the Second Liberian Civil War in 1999, Kenema District along with Bo District served more than 60,000 Liberian refugees

Economy

Kenema has a mixed economy, made up of gold and diamond mining as well as agricultural production of coffee, cacao and rice.

Sport

Kenema is home to Sierra Leonean Premier League club the Kamboi Eagles. The club won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup in 1981, 1985, and 2014.

Notable people from Kenema District

  • J. B. Dauda, Sierra Leone Minister of Finance
  • Mohamed Kallon, football star
  • Paul Kpaka, football star
  • Patrick Daniel Koroma, Bishop of Kenema
  • Andrew Lungay, Politician
  • Emmerson Bockarie, Musician

Administrative divisions

Chiefdoms

Pre-2017

Prior to the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Kenema District was made up of sixteen chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision.

  1. Dama – Giema
  2. Dodo – Dodo
  3. Gaura – Joru
  4. Gorama Mende – Tungie
  5. Kandu Leppiam – Gbado
  6. Koya – Baoma
  7. Langurama Ya – Baima
  8. Lower Bambara – Panguma
  9. Malegohun – Sembehun
  10. Niawa – Sundumei
  11. Nomo – Faama
  12. Nongowa – Kenema
  13. Simbaru – Boajibu
  14. Small Bo – Blama
  15. Tunkia – Gorahun
  16. Wando – Faala

Post-2017

After the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Kenema District was made up of seventeen chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision.

  1. Dama – Giema
  2. Dodo – Dodo
  3. Gaura – Joru
  4. Gorama Mende – Tungea
  5. Kandu Leppiam – Gbado
  6. Koya – Baoma
  7. Langurama Ya – Baima
  8. Lower Bambara – Panguma
  9. Malegohun – Sembehun
  10. Niawa – Sundumei
  11. Nomo – Faama
  12. Nongowa – ?
  13. Simbaru – Boajibu
  14. Small Bo – Blama
  15. Tunkia – Gorahun
  16. Wando – Faala
  17. Kenema City – Kenema ;Notes:

Major towns

  • Barma
  • Blama
  • Boajibu
  • Giehun
  • Gorahun
  • Hangha
  • Kenema, capital and largest city
  • Panguma
  • Pendemu
  • Tokpombu
  • Tongo, Second largest city
  • Wuima
  • Yomboma

References

References

  1. "Government Notice - Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. 4 of 2012) (Section 95)".
  2. "GeoHive - Sierra Leone population statistics".
  3. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".
  4. "Statement from NEC Chairperson on the conduct and result of the Presidential Elections held on 17th November 2012".
  5. (July 2021). "World Gazetteer: Kenema - profile of geographical entity including name variants}}{{dead link".
  6. "Thematic Report on population structure and population distribution".
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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