Why Kenema
Kenema is the capital of Kenema District and the second largest city in Sierra Leone by population, trailing only Freetown. Located in the country's Eastern Province, the city sits in a broad valley at a natural gap in the Kambui Hills, roughly 173 meters above sea level within the Upper Guinea forest ecosystem. To the west lies the Kambui Hills Forest Reserve, an internationally notable biodiversity region reaching heights up to 645 meters that serves as the primary water source for the community.
Local traditions trace Kenema's origins to a hunter named Ngombulango from nearby Gombu, who settled the site generations before European administration. The region was historically stewarded by Mende-speaking communities. Growth accelerated under British rule after the Sierra Leone Government Railway reached the settlement in 1909, establishing it as a key trading center for cocoa, coffee, timber, and palm products. The discovery of alluvial diamonds in 1931 further transformed the local economy, leading to the establishment of the Government Diamond Office in 1959 to regulate regional diamond valuation and exports.
As the primary commercial hub of southeastern Sierra Leone, Kenema is an ethnically diverse city home to Mende, Kono, Kissi, Limba, Temne, Fula, and Lebanese-Sierra Leonean populations. Economic life revolves around public services, banking, trade, artisanal diamond and gold mining, and agriculture. The surrounding countryside produces significant yields of cocoa, coffee, rice, cassava, and palm oil, while local fruit yields such as pineapples and mangoes supply regional beverage processors. Local artisans also create sawn timber, wood carvings, and handcrafted furniture.
Kenema is connected by road to Bo, Kailahun, Kono, Pujehun, and neighboring Liberia via the Zimmi corridor. The spatial layout of its primary commercial district continues to be defined by the route of the historic railway line. Within the city, daily transport is dominated by motorcycles known as okada and tricycles called kekeh. The town features one of the largest open-air markets in southeastern Sierra Leone, alongside national supermarket outlets, specialized trading houses, and independent shops.
The region experiences a tropical monsoon climate defined by a rainy season from May to October and a drier period from November to April. Average annual temperatures sit near 26 degrees Celsius, with brief moderation provided by dry Harmattan winds between December and February. Kenema is also known as the site of Kenema Government Hospital, a major provincial referral facility recognized internationally for its long-standing research programs and specialized isolation ward dedicated to treating Lassa fever.
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