The district was heavily looted and constantly fought over due to the rich diamond reserves in the area.

[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 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 SLPP has won Kono District in the last three Sierra Leone Presidential elections held in 1996, 2002 and 2007.

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the SLPP won the District both in the 1996 and 2002 Sierra Leone Presidential elections.

Other important economic activities include gold mining and agricultural production of rice, coffee and cacao.

Kono District was the setting for much of Blood Diamond, an Academy Award-nominated film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Honsou.