Kenema's current mayor is Thomas Karimu Baio of the Sierra Leone People's Party[2] Archived 2018-08-01 at the Wayback Machine.

The Kamboi Eagles, a professional football club based in Kenema, represents the city in the Sierra Leone National Premier League.

Kenema's growth was originally promoted by the logging and carpentry industries, which were linked to the city by the now-closed railway.

In Presidential elections, Kenema has voted for the Sierra Leone People's Party by a vast majority of over 70%.

The Eastern Technical University (ETU) situated at the main Combema Road is the highest learning institution in the city, offering certificates and degree courses.

The Kenema Government Hospital is the centre of an international effort to combat the disease with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAMSIL.

New laboratories to improve rapid diagnosis are being installed at the hospital, which admits between 250 and 500 suspected cases per year.

In 2020, the World Health Organization secured a €500,000 grant from the German Corporation for International Cooperation to increase COVID-19 testing capacity in Sierra Leone, which was already taking place at the Kenema Government Hospital.