Kersa is one of the 180 districts in the Oromia Region. It is part of east Hararghe. It is bordered on the south by Bedeno district, on the west by Meta district, on the north by Dire Dawa administrative council, on the northeast by Haramaya woreda, and on the southeast by Kurfa Chele district. The woreda capital is Kersa, which is 44 km from Harar west wards.

Kersa Demographic Surveillance and Health Research Center (KDS-HRC) is located in Kersa district of eastern Hararege, Oromia region, Eastern Ethiopia. It was established in 2007 with the vision of becoming center of excellence in health science research in Ethiopia. It conducts health and demographic surveillance. The major work on the ground are monitoring demographic altering events such as birth, death, and migration; and health related conditions such as pregnancy, immunization, and morbidity. It also conducts verbal autopsy for the deceased to identify causes of death. It is an INDPTH network member site (http://www.indepth-network.org).