Peter Kenilorea

Who is Peter Kenilorea?

Sir Peter Kenilorea KBE is a Solomon Islander politician, officially styled The Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Kenilorea as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.

Kenilorea was born in Takataka village on Malaita island, of 'Are'are ethnicity. He was trained as a teacher for the South Seas Evangelical Church and a co-founder of the Solomon Islands Christian Association. As a young man he helped to found the Solomon Islands United Party.

He became Chief Minister of the Solomon Islands in 1976 and led the country to independence from Britain in 1978. He then served as the first Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands until 1981, and again from 1984 to 1986. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1989 and from 1990 to 1993.

Following fighting between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Isatabu Freedom Movement, Kenilorea was, along with Paul Tovua, co-chairman of the peace talks, and he became Chairman of the eight-member Peace Monitoring Council, which was created in August 2000. In the Seventh Parliament, which sat from 2001 to 2005, he was Speaker of Parliament.

He was a candidate for the post of Governor-General in mid-June 2004, but he received only 8 of 41 votes in Parliament, placing second behind Nathaniel Waena, who received 27 votes. Following the 2006 general election, he was re-elected as Speaker of Parliament without opposition in April 2006. He held the position until 2010.