Kono District is one of the most ethnically diverse Districts in Sierra Leone and is home to a large population of many of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming a majority.
Kono District population is religiously diverse among Muslims and Christians, though Muslims make up the majority of the population in Kono District.
Before the civil war, Kono District had a population well over 600,000 [citation needed]; however, it experienced devastation during the Sierra Leone Civil War, which forced many of the residents out of the district. The district was heavily looted and constantly fought over due to the rich diamond reserves in the area.
Government and politics
Kono District is governed with a district council form of government, which is headed by a District Council Chairman, who is responsible for the general management of the district. The District Council Chairman is elected directly by the residents of Kono District in every four years. The Kono District Council Hall located in the district capital Koidu Town, is the official Hall where members of the Kono District Council meet. The current chairman of Kono district council is Richard Abdulrahman Koninga of the (All People's Congress) (APC) who was sworn in on January 26, 2012, after winning the Kono District Local Council Elections.[4] Richard Abdulrahman Koninga inauguration at the Kenema City Hall in Kenema Town was attended by president Ernest Bai Koroma.[5] He succeeded Finda Diana Konomanyi of the All People's Congress (APC) whose tenure of office expired in 2012, leading to the 2012 Local Council Elections. The city of Koidu Town is a municipality and has its own city council, led by Mayor Saa Emerson Lamina.
Each one of the fourteen chiefdoms in Kono District is led by a paramount chief, who is highly influential. Paramount Chiefs hold significant powers and are highly respected across Sierra Leone.
Kono District is similar to swing states in American politics, as the District is not considered a political stronghold of any political parties in Sierra Leone. This is primarily due to the ethnic diversity of the district's population and the fact that two of Sierra Leone's largest ethnic groups the Mende and Temne do not form a significant portion of the Kono District population . The Kono District representatives in the Parliament of Sierra Leone is about equal between SLPP and APC members. Kono District is a major campaign stops in Sierra Leone Presidential election.
The District has recently lean towards the APC in municipal and local elections held in 2008 and 2011, though the SLPP still maintain strong support in the District. The SLPP previously controlled the Kono District Council local government and the Koiducity council, until 2008 when the APC took control. The SLPP has won Kono District in the last three Sierra Leone Presidential elections held in 1996, 2002 and 2007.
In the 2007 Sierra Leone presidential election, the SLPP presidential candidate Solomon Berewa won the district over the APC candidate Ernest Bai Koroma, despite the fact that Koroma's vice presidential candidate AlhajiSamuel Sam-Sumana and Koroma's wife Sia Koroma are both natives of Kono District. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP won the District both in the 1996 and 2002 Sierra Leone Presidential elections.
Kono District is the largest diamond producer in Sierra Leone. Other important economic activities include gold mining and agricultural production of rice, coffee and cacao.
Education
Prominent Secondary Schools are:
Koidu Secondary School
Koidu Girls Secondary School
Ansarul Islamic Boys Secondary School
Ansarul Islamic Girls Secondary School
Islamic Secondary School Koidu
Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood Secondary School
Jaiama Secondary School
Yengema Secondary School
Kono Model Academy
Aziz Secondary School Motema
Sport
Kono is home to Sierra Leonean Premier League club the Diamond Stars of Kono. The club is one of the oldest, biggest, and most popular football clubs in Sierra Leone. The club have won the Sierra Leonean FA Cup once, in 1992. Famous local football clubs are Flamingo FC, Rangers FC, Cosmos FC & Farmers FC.
Administrative divisions
Chiefdoms
Prior to the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Kono District was made up of fourteen chiefdoms (and there are 72 sections across the district) as the third level of administrative subdivision.[7] Each chiefdom has one traditional ruler known as paramount chief.
After the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Kono District has made up of fifteen chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision; with the newest unit in Koidu Town Chiefdom being de-amalgamated from Gbense Chiefdom.
The name Kono was also used in the 2005 film Lord of War as the cover name for the sea vessel Kristol to fool Interpol agents searching for an illegal weapons shipment hidden in the Kristol's cargo.
Hon. Paramount Chief Sahr Fengai Korgbende Kaimachiande |||, former Paramount Chief Member of Parliament for Kono and former Paramount Chief of Gbense Chiefdom
The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since April 4, 2018. The SLPP dominated Sierra Leone's politics from its foundation in 1951 to 1967, when it lost the 1967 parliamentary election to the APC, led by Siaka Stevens. Originally a centre-right conservative party, since 2012 it identifies as a social democratic party, with a centrist tendency.
Koidu Town is the capital and largest city of the diamond-rich Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The population of Koidu Town is 124,662 based on the 2015 Sierra Leone national census. Koidu Town is the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone by population, after Freetown, Kenema, Bo and Makeni. Koidu Town is a major urban, business, commercial and diamond trade center. Koidu Town lies approximately 280 miles east of Freetown, and about 60 miles north of Kenema.
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Yengema is a town in Kono District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone, lying approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Koidu Town, and about 142 miles (229 km) east of Freetown. The major industries in and around Yengema are diamond mining and agriculture. The town is home to Yengema Airport, the main airfield serving Kono District. A 2012 estimate of Yengema population was 13,358 people.
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Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018.
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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 609,873. Kenema District has an area of 6,053 km2 (2,337 sq mi) and comprises sixteen chiefdoms.
General elections were held in Sierra Leone on 11 August 2007. Seven candidates competed in the first round of the presidential election; no candidate received the necessary 55% of the vote to win in the first round, and a second round was held between the top two candidates, Ernest Bai Koroma of the All People's Congress (APC) and Solomon Berewa of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), on 8 September. According to official results, Koroma won the election with 54.6% of the vote.
The following list is of events that happened during 2007 in Sierra Leone.
The Kono people are a major Mande-speaking ethnic group in Sierra Leone at 5.2% of the country's total population. Their homeland is the diamond-rich Kono District in eastern Sierra Leone. The Kono are primarily diamond miners and farmers.
Alhaji Samuel Sidique Sam-Sumana is a Sierra Leonean politician who was the Vice President of Sierra Leone from September 17, 2007, to March 17, 2015. Sam-Sumana stood as the vice-presidential candidate of the All People's Congress (APC) in the 2007 presidential election, alongside presidential candidate Ernest Bai Koroma. The APC ticket defeated the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) presidential candidate Solomon Berewa and vice presidential candidate Momodou Koroma. Sam-Sumana took office as vice president on September 17, 2007.
Tamba Songu M'briwa was a prominent Sierra Leonean politician and paramount chief from the Kono ethnic group, who formed one of the few political parties in Sierra Leone before independence.
Kai Abdul Foday was a Sierra Leonean politician who served as member of Sierra Leone's parliament representing his hometown of Kono District. He was a member of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). Kai Abdul Foday was first elected to parliament in the 2002 general elections, he again won re-election in the 2007 general election, although his political party, the SLPP presidential candidate Solomon Berewa lost the presidential election to the APC presidential candidate, Ernest Bai Koroma. Kai Foday comes from the Kissi ethnic group. Kai Abdul Foday was born on 2 March 1924, in Kamiendor, Mafindor Chiefdom, Kono District.
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Sierra Leone is home to about sixteen ethnic groups, each with its own language. In Sierra Leone, membership of an ethnic group often overlaps with a shared religious identity.
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