State leaders, lawmakers host Kenyan Parliament members

LINCOLN, Neb. (Press Release) - Governor Jim Pillen, Secretary of State Bob Evnen and members of the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee met Tuesday with six members of the Parliament of Kenya. The Kenyan lawmakers are visiting Nebraska to establish public and private partnerships and learn from Nebraska lawmakers.

The visit follows the efforts of the Nebraska Secretary of State’s Office to further establish connections between Nebraska businesses and opportunities in Kenya. Secretary Bob Evnen and Deputy Secretary for International Trade Cindi Allen traveled to Kenya in 2022 and met with Kenya’s President William Ruto and U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman. This week’s meeting with Kenya lawmakers coincides with ongoing strategic trade partnership talks between the United States and the Republic of Kenya.

”It was an honor to welcome Kenya’s members of Parliament and to further assist in developing connections between our state and the growing economic opportunities in Kenya,” Secretary Evnen said. “Kenya has many agricultural and economic similarities with our state. I hope we can continue to develop strategic ways to benefit both Nebraska and Kenya.”

Visiting members of the Parliament of Kenya included: Jeremiah Omboko Milemba, Josephine Naisula Lesuuda, Mathias Nyamabe Robi, Danson Mwashako Mwakuwona, Benjamin Gathiru Mwangi and Japheth Mokaya Nyakundi. They are all members of the Parliament’s Budget and Appropriations Committee.

The delegation spent the last week touring agricultural sites across Nebraska and met with leaders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), including Maegan Stevens-Liska, interim assistant vice chancellor for Global Affairs, and Blayne Sharpe, director of International Recruitment.