IRI Hosts Kenyan Parliamentarians in Washington

June 15, 2006

The International Republican Institute (IRI) hosted three members of the Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade from the Kenyan National Assembly in Washington D.C. for a study tour of U.S. budgetary practices as Kenyan members seek to improve their government’s budget policies. To help them understand the intricacies of the U.S. authorizations and appropriations processes, IRI arranged meetings with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY), Ranking Member on the House Ways and Means Committee; Malik Chaka, Director of Threshold Countries (which includes Kenya) at the Millennium Challenge Corporation; and staff members to Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ranking Member on the Senate Subcommittee on Africa. The group also met with General Accounting Office staff, recorded a live broadcast at the Voice of America, and held meetings at the U.S. Department of State.

During the delegation’s visit, IRI President Lorne Craner met with the group to discuss the public opinion polls conducted by IRI in Kenya, and expectations for the upcoming campaign season. Kenya is expected to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007, and IRI is conducting a series of nationwide public opinion polls to inform political parties of political trends.

Kenyan delegation members included the Honorable Dr. Oburu Odinga, Chairman of the Finance Committee; Honorable Chris Okemo, a former Finance Minister; and the Honorable John Mutiso, a first-term Member of Parliament.

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