Kenilorea began his legal career with Jennifer Corrin Barrister & Solicitor in 1994. He began working for the Attorney General of the Solomon Islands in 1996, and left his government position for the
United Nations in 2000. Kenilorea held several roles at the UN, returning to the
government of Solomon Islands in 2017 as permanent secretary of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade. and was elected a member of parliament for
East ꞌAreꞌare. Supporters of Kenilorea's predecessor,
Andrew Manepora'a, filed a petition against Kenilorea alleging corruption in May 2019. The United Party supported Kenilorea's candidacy for head of government, an office won by
Manasseh Sogavare. Soon after Sogavare's fourth cabinet took office, his government chose to end diplomatic relations with the Republic of China. Kenilorea sharply criticized the establishment of bilateral relations with the People's Republic of China. He offered public support to
John Maneniaru, who described the diplomatic switch as the government serving "new Chinese masters" in October 2019. Through May 2020, Kenilorea petitioned for a change in leadership. As the Solomon Islands government took action against the
COVID-19 pandemic in Oceania, Kenilorea continued bringing attention to Taiwan's humanitarian aid. He urged the government to serve Solomon Islanders, and regularly questioned
government efforts regarding COVID-19. ==References==