In the Local Government Elections held in 2018, United National Party candidate Lasantha Deepal was elected to the Kandawala Ward, defeating Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna candidate Daisy Hapuarachchi.

Kandawala was home to a tower built in 1796 by the colonial Dutch for communication and surveillance, with a height of 150 feet (46 m).

[citation needed] A monastery of the Dominican Order and a community of Sisters of the Holy Family also exist in the area.

Poththode Ananda Wivekashrama and Pahala Kandawala Sri Sambudaramaya temples are Buddhist religious places in the area.

A bus travelling from Nikaveratiya to Colombo via Pannala, Katana, Kandawala and Negombo also exists.