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"content": "whole world depends on satellite technology. There is no aeroplane which can fly without the help of satellite to be able to get its position at any given minute. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you ring your satellite phone, your message goes to a satellite first before it is downloaded to the intended destination. So, all satellite phones are based on space science technology. People have not realised that all the ATMs used by banks are based on satellite technology. That is why you can go to an ATM and withdraw money anywhere in the world. They are all controlled through satellite. So, you can see how useful satellite technology is. Currently, all the transport systems are being installed with gadgets known as “GPS” or Global Positioning System. Once you install a GPS gadget in your car, it can give you direction. You do not need anybody to tell you where you want to go. You programme the gadget and your car will direct you to where you want to go using that gadget. Therefore, it is very important technology in the telecommunication system. Currently, the whole of Europe and America use GPS systems for transport. You can monitor your vehicles wherever they are while in your house. So, you can see how useful this technology is. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will not elaborate so much on this because I can spend a lot of time. Many hon. Members here have Google Earth in their phones. You can now have maps on your phone screens. You can move anywhere. Therefore, I want to urge this House that this technology is so important that we must enact a law and policy to be able to manage this industry, which is extremely important to this country. Kenya has been in the forefront in space technology for so many years. But unfortunately, we do not have a policy or a law. We are, therefore, losing greatly because of this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion urges the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology to come up with a policy and a law that will make space science a very important asset for this country. The aim of this Motion is to urge the Ministry to enact this law as soon as possible. In Kenya, we are lagging behind and yet, we are the pioneers in space science. The first satellite signal receiving station was built in Ngomeni, Malindi in 1964. The first satellite was launched from Ngomeni, Malindi, in 1967. Therefore, Kenya has been a leader. Unfortunately, this station is managed mainly by the Italian Government and the University of Rome. We have, therefore, had no access. We have not built enough capacity. It is important that we use this station and build capacity. We need to put the relevant laws in place and train Kenyans, so that we can use this technology. We now have a very important enterprise called Space Enterprise. People have colonized the planet earth. Colonization is now going on in space. Already we have an international space station where you can go as a tourist. This is called space tourism. In order to go to space as a tourist, you need to pay US$20million. I can tell you for now the list of those who wish to go to the station is in excess of 1,000. If you can recall two years ago, the richest South African businessman was able to pay and go to space and stay there for a whole week as a space tourist. So, opportunities are enormous in this line. However, because it is science and technology, we tend to shy away. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, development in the 21st Century is based on science, technology and innovation. Any country that does embrace this technology will only be a consumer and will not develop. I am, therefore, urging this House to support"
}