Defence CS Raychelle Omamo on Thursday clashed with a parliamentary committee over the economic gains Kenya makes from the installation of the Italian owned San Marco space centre in Malindi.
The space station dubbed “San Marco 2” was launched at Ngomeni falls on April 26, 1967, and will be marking its 51st anniversary this year.
Omamo and Interior CS Fred Matiang’i were appearing before the Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security to present an analysis on the Kenya Coast Guard Service Bill, 2017.
The matter of the space station came up and MPs sought to know how Kenya has been benefiting from the scientific satellite.
“Even Safaricom when they put a mast on your land they always pay, so how much do we get as a country,” Sirisia MP John Waluke asked.
Omamo was, however, non-committal on the matter and refused to discuss it.
“I came here today for one purpose, to discuss the Kenya Coastguard. That was what the invitation letter said. It did not ask me to come here to discuss the San Marco Satellite project,” she said.
