Maithripala Sirisena Biography: Height, Ethnicity, Age, Net Worth, Siblings, Parents, Children, Wife, Political Party, Awards

Maithripala Sirisena is a Sri Lankan politician and farmer who served as the country’s seventh President from January 2015 to November 2019.

He came into prominence after breaking ranks with then‑President Mahinda Rajapaksa and winning the 2015 election as the common opposition candidate.

His victory stunned the nation, gaining notable support across ethnic and religious divides, and he was widely seen as a reform‑minded leader aiming to restore democratic checks and balances.  

Profile

• Full name: Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena
• Date of birth: 3 September 1951
• Age: 74 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Yagoda, Gampaha District, British Ceylon
• State of origin: North Central Province (Polonnaruwa)
• Nationality: Sri Lankan
• Profession: Politician, farmer
• Height: 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)  
• Parents: Pallewatte Gamaralalage Albert Sirisena; Yapa Appuhamilage Dona Nandawathi
• Siblings: 5 brothers and 6 sisters (including Dudley Sirisena and Priyantha Sirisena)
• Spouse: Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari Sirisena
• Children: Two daughters and one son
• Relationship status: Married
• Religion: Buddhism (Sinhalese Buddhist majority)
• Ethnicity: Sinhalese
• Net worth: $8 million

Early Life and Education

Maithripala Sirisena is now 74 and was born on 3 September 1951 to Pallewatte Gamaralalage Albert Sirisena and Yapa Appuhamilage Dona Nandawathi, in Yagoda, in present‑day Gampaha District. He was the eldest of twelve children in a family led by a WWII veteran father and a mother who was a school teacher.

The family later moved to Polonnaruwa, where young Sirisena completed his schooling at Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya and Rajakeeya Madya Maha Vidyalaya, and became active in leftist politics.   

In 1973, he completed a Diploma in Agriculture at the Sri Lanka School of Agriculture in Kundasale, and later in 1980 earned a Diploma in Political Science from the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Russia.  

Personal Life

Sirisena is married to Jayanthi Pushpa Kumari, and the couple has three grown children, two daughters and a son. The family maintains a low public profile with no records of divorce or extramarital affairs. Sirisena faced personal tragedy when his younger brother, Priyantha, died following an axe attack in March 2015.

Career

Sirisena began his professional life as a purchasing officer at the Polonnaruwa cooperative society in 1974, then served as a village officer until 1978. He entered politics through the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) youth wing in the late 1960s and was jailed during the 1971 insurrection.

First elected to Parliament in 1989, he held several cabinet positions, including Minister of Mahaweli Development (1997), Deputy Minister of Irrigation (1994), Minister of Agriculture (2007–2010), and Minister of Health (2010–2014). He also served as SLFP General Secretary from 2001 to 2014.  

His greatest political achievement was winning the presidency in 2015 by uniting opposition forces and pledging constitutional reforms to reduce presidential power.

In 2018, Sirisena caused a constitutional crisis by controversially dismissing the prime minister and dissolving parliament; the Supreme Court later reversed that decision. He returned to Parliament after 2020 and served briefly as SLFP chairman before stepping down in April 2024 amid internal disputes.

Awards

• World No Tobacco Day Award (WHO) – 2013 & 2017, for his leadership in tobacco control as Health Minister  
• WHO Award for Excellence in Public Health – 2016, for initiatives in controlling tobacco and illicit drugs  
• Harvard Ministerial Leadership in Health Award – 2013, by Harvard School of Public Health & Kennedy School  
• Shortlisted for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, recognized for his efforts in reconciliation  
• Sri Lankabhimanya – the nation’s highest civilian honor, conferred in 2017  

Net Worth

Sirisena’s net worth is estimated at approximately USD 8 million, derived from his political career, agricultural assets, and government benefits.  

Controversy

His 2018 attempt to unconstitutionally dissolve parliament and reappoint Mahinda Rajapaksa as prime minister drew widespread criticism, with courts declaring the move null and void.

Critics have also pointed to his ties with tobacco industry interests, such as sponsoring events by the Ceylon Tobacco Company, though his government implemented strict tobacco-control measures and received WHO awards for public health actions.  

Additionally, in January 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court held him responsible for security lapses surrounding the 2019 Easter bombings and ordered him to pay victims’ families compensation of 100 million rupees.  

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