Kailahun District is the birthplace of former Sierra Leone's president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, who was born in the town of Pendembu.

The current chairman of Kailahun district council is Sahr Ahmed Lamin of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), who easily won the 2018 District Chairperson election with an overwhelming landslide victory Kailahun District is a reliable political stronghold of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), the current ruling party in Sierra Leone.

The District overwhelmingly supports the SLPP by a large majority in Presidential, Parliamentary and local councils elections.

The Vai, Kissi and Gola make up the majority of the population in the villages and small towns in Kailahun District at the international border with the Republic of Liberia.

Kailahun has a mixed economy, made up of small-scale mining as well as agricultural production of coffee, cacao and rice.