Around Kemise are three villages with mosques, reachable only by footpaths: Dewe Rahmedo, about 20 kilometers from Kemise; Shonke, 23 kilometers away; and about 12 kilometers south of Kemise there is a footpath to the east, after another 5 kilometers arrives at Tiru Sina.
On 19 January 2002 one person was killed during a clash between Muslims and Christians in Kemise.