Congressman Cohen Hosts Speaker of the Kenyan Parliament

Speaker Marende requested the one-on-one meeting with Congressman Cohen to discuss a wide range of issues, including the ongoing progress of re-writing the Kenyan Constitution, trade and economic development opportunities, and the importance of preventing an al-Qaida takeover of neighboring Somalia.

Congressman Cohen’s statement on the meeting follows:

“It was a pleasure to host Speaker Marende during his visit to Congress. He brought a message to me, my colleagues in Congress, and the White House that our allies in Sub-Saharan Africa, like Kenya and Somalia, are under a growing threat from al-Qaida, which wants nothing less than to replace democracy with a caliphate.

“The United States has a strong ally in Kenya, and I told Speaker Marende that all Americans are grateful that Kenyan is the leader on combating piracy in the Indian Ocean.

“Along with national security issues, our discussion touched on a wide range of issues, including potential trade and economic development and investment opportunities between Kenya and the 9th District.

“Finally, I was pleased to learn of the extraordinary progress that has been made in rewriting the Kenyan Constitution in the aftermath of violence-plagued elected that produced a compromise government that is now a unity government.”




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Steven Broderick
Communications Director
Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9)
1005 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Direct: 202-226-7916
Main: 202-225-3265
steven.broderick@mail.house.gov