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{
    "id": 441650,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/441650/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 362,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ombaka",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1007,
        "legal_name": "Christine Oduor Ombaka",
        "slug": "christine-oduor-ombaka"
    },
    "content": "I want to look at this Report as an educationist and believe that space technology or space science has not been well developed in this country. That is because we are still a very young country as compared to other countries abroad. However, this is a good opportunity for this country to benefit from space science. Some of the universities that we have today are struggling to come up with space science departments and courses, where our students can learn something about space. It is surprising that for 50 years, a space institution like this one has never been in touch with our universities in terms of helping them to develop and come up with academic programmes in space science. That is a big gap. That is why I suspect that something is very wrong with that institution. It is operating with a lot of mystery and under a kind of secrecy. It is not connected to the institutions of higher learning. That is a big problem for me because I have just heard that they are supposed to train undergraduate, masters and PhD students, but that was never done. So, how are they helping our universities? There is need for the space centre to be connected to our universities. Students who are doing sciences, and who need to go for attachment, sometimes fail to get places to go for attachment. There are never enough places to absorb them during the attachment periods. This is an area where our science students can go for attachment. But the San Marco Space Centre seems to block other people from utilising it. It is part and parcel of colonialism. That is how colonialism operated. They came, grabbed the land, made use of it, utilised all the resources and the local people did not benefit in any way. Our universities are not gaining anything from the data that the Centre is generating. Our universities need to understand what is going on there. Our students need to be attached to that institution to learn more. It should help universities to come up with strong programmes on space science. Therefore, I believe that so much has been lost by the fact that they operate in isolation and ignore the local people. They do not even bring development to the local people. Therefore, I feel that a lot needs to be done in terms of engaging the San Marco Space Centre to go beyond just involving the local people. The Centre should involve institutions of higher learning and engage our students to improve in space technology so that Kenya, alongside other African countries like Nigeria - which has done very well - reach there and be part and parcel of space science. I want to support everything contained in this Report. I believe that time has come for us to work hand-in-hand and improve the framework that the San Marco Space Centre has been operating in Kenya. New policies should be developed so that the Centre can offer programmes to our universities to utilise, so that we can improve science and technology in this country. With those few remarks, I beg to support the Report."
}