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Chamal Rajapaksa Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 October 1942

Age80 Years (as of 2022)

BirthplacePalatuwa, Matara, British Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

ProfessionRetired Police Officer and Politician

NationalityCeylonese (1942-1948); Sri Lankan (1948-present)

Marital statusMarried

SpouseChandra Malani Rajapaksa

FamilyTwo sons (including Shasheendra Rajapaksa)

Chamal Rajapaksa Biography

Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa is a Sri Lankan politician and retired police sub-inspector who has served in multiple ministerial roles and as Speaker of theSri

Early life and background

Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa was born on 30 October 1942 in Palatuwa, Matara, then part of British Ceylon. He grew up in the Rajapaksa family and completed his schooling at Richmond College, where he also captained the school football team. Raised in a Buddhist household, he has lived through Sri Lanka’s transition from Ceylonese nationality at birth to Sri Lankan nationality after independence.

Before entering public office, Rajapaksa served for more than eight years in the Ceylon police force as a sub-inspector. During his police career he was assigned as a bodyguard to Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. He left the police in 1972 and moved into the State Trading General Corporation (STC), where he worked as Assistant General Manager until 1985. After that period he returned to manage his family’s farmland in Beliatte.

Career

Chamal Rajapaksa launched his political career with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) in 1985 and contested a by-election that year from the Mulkirigala electorate. He lost that initial contest but returned to electoral politics in the 1989 general election, winning a seat representing Hambantota and maintaining a parliamentary presence from 1989 through 2022.

Over the course of his political career he has held a range of ministerial and deputy ministerial appointments. Those roles have included Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Lands, Deputy Minister of Ports & Southern Development, Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries, Minister of Agricultural Development, Minister of Irrigation & Water Management, and Minister of Ports & Aviation. As Minister of Irrigation & Water Management he oversaw several irrigation projects across multiple river basins and reservoirs, including works at Maw Ara, Weheragala, Weli Oya, Menik Ganga, Uma Oya, Deduru Oya, Kekiriobadakan Oya, and Yan Oya.

When his younger brother Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the presidency in 2010, Chamal Rajapaksa was appointed Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, a position he held until 2015. In 2016 he left the SLFP and joined the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). He was appointed Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine on 9 November 2018. In August 2020 he was named Minister of Irrigation & Water Management, and in November 2020 he became State Minister of National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management. He tendered his resignations from ministerial posts on 3 April 2022 amid widespread protests related to the country’s economic crisis.

Beyond ministerial offices, Rajapaksa has led and participated in parliamentary and non-ministerial roles. He has served as President of the Sri Lanka–Russia Parliamentary Friendship Association and of the Sri Lanka–Hungary Parliamentary Friendship Association, and has been Chairman of the District Development Committee in Hambantota. His committee work while in parliament included membership of sectoral oversight committees on national security and on transport and communication, participation in a subcommittee on prison reforms, the Liaison Committee, and ministerial consultative committees on ports, shipping and southern development.

Public profile

Chamal Rajapaksa is a member of a prominent political family. He is the elder brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has served as President and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a former president and retired army officer. Other siblings have held public and private roles in Sri Lanka and abroad. He married Chandra Malani Rajapaksa in 1975 and they have two sons, including Shasheendra Rajapaksa, who has served as Chief Minister of Uva Province and as custodian of a significant devalaya in Kataragama.

His public service has been recognized by the Government of Sri Lanka with the honorary title Sri Lanka Janaseva Vibhushana.

Latest updates

In the course of the 2022 crisis and associated protests, Chamal Rajapaksa publicly reflected on his family’s political trajectory and stated that his brother Mahinda should have stepped away from politics after his second presidential term. On 3 April 2022 he resigned from the ministerial positions he then held.

Physical and personal notes

Chamal Rajapaksa is described as having salt-and-pepper hair and dark brown eyes. His height is listed at approximately 172 cm (about 5 feet 8 inches). He maintains residences in Colombo and has been identified with an address in Colombo 7.
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Recent Work

Minister of Irrigation & Water Management

Appointed Minister of Irrigation & Water Management on 17 August 2020; oversaw irrigation projects across multiple river basins and reservoirs.

2020
State Minister of National Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management

Assumed the state minister role in November 2020 and resigned from ministerial offices on 3 April 2022 amid national protests.

2020
Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine

Took charge of the health ministry on 9 November 2018.

2018
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Career Highlights

  1. Served as Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament (2010–2015)
  2. Longtime member of parliament for Hambantota (1989–2022)
  3. Held multiple deputy ministerial and ministerial portfolios including irrigation, ports, agriculture and health
  4. President of parliamentary friendship associations with Russia and Hungary
  5. Awarded the honorary title Sri Lanka Janaseva Vibhushana
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Chamal Rajapaksa born?

30 October 1942

What is Chamal Rajapaksa known for?

Retired Police Officer and Politician

What is Chamal Rajapaksa’s marital status?

Married

Who is Chamal Rajapaksa married to?

Chandra Malani Rajapaksa