Kenema

Based on the 2021 national mid-term census, Kenema has a population of 255,110. making it the second most populous city in Sierra Leone after Freetown, and the largest city in the country's Eastern Province. Kenema City servers as capital of Kenema District and is a major economic hub in the Eastern Province. Kenema is located approximately 200 miles from Freetown, and 60 kilometres (40 mi) south of Bo. Kenema is one of Sierra Leone's most ethnically diverse cities. Like most parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people is by far the most widely spoken language in Kenema. Kenema is governed by a directly elected city council, headed by a mayor in whom executive authority is vested, and who is responsible for the city's general management. The mayor and council members are elected every four years. Kenema's current mayor is Thomas Karimu Baio of the Sierra Leone People's Party[2]. Karimu Baio was elected mayor with 79.4% of the vote in the 2018 Kenema Mayoral election [3]. Kenema is an overwhelming political stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party, the current national ruling party in Sierra Leone. As in the rest of Sierra Leone, football is by far the city's most popular sport. The Kamboi Eagles, a professional football club based in Kenema, represents the city in the Sierra Leone National Premier League. Kenema is known as the hometown of some of Sierra Leone's greatest international soccer stars, including the country's most widely known athlete, retired soccer star Mohamed Kallon. Other notable Sierra Leonean international footballers from Kenema include the country's current top striker, Kei Kamara, and retired soccer stars Paul Kpaka, Kemokai Kallon and Musa Kallon. Kenema's growth was originally promoted by the logging and carpentry industries, which were linked to the city by the now-closed railway. Since then, its economy has benefited from the diamond mines first discovered in the area in 1931.