Security in Ngomeni area in Kilifi County received a boost with the construction of a new police station in the area.
The modern facility, located in Magarini sub-county, was hand over to the government by Italian Space Agency in a move that will help in the provision of security within the area.
Authorities at the site, which used to be popularly known as San Marco Space Centre (Now Luigi Broglio Malindi Space Centre), built the one-storey building consisting of the report office, cells and offices on the ground floor.
The police station has also been fitted with CCTV cameras, Air Conditioning, Modern toilets with water and rooms to accommodate eight police officers.
Kilifi County Security Committee led by County Commissioner Josephat Biwott, County Commander Fatuma Hadi and other senior security officials officially received the new police station from Engineer Munzer Jahjah the CEO of Broglio Malindi Space Centre in the company of Kenya Space Agency CEO Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey.
Addressing journalists during the handing-over ceremony, the Broglio Malindi Space Centre CEO said they have a strong collaboration with the Kenya space agency adding that Kenya is a priority for space activities.
“We are already finalizing the Regional Centre for reservation and we are also finalizing a Nairobi nod so that Nairobi space agency can have direct access to data and as already said it is always for free,” he said.
The CEO said they are also supporting Kenya Space Agency on different international bodies, and the community not only by hiring 200 employees at the base but also by direct impact from the Centre to the community.
On his part, the County Commissioner thanked the Italian Space Agency and Kenya Space Agency for supporting the police service.
Kenya Space Agency CEO Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey said the agency wcollaboratingh with the Italian space agency over the exploration and exploitation of space technologies and services for socio-economic development.
He said the Malindi Space Centre was a strategic facility that brings together the Kenya Space Agency, Italian Space agency the Italian and Kenya Governments over the exploration and exploitation of space science and technology
Kipkosgey said the space agency established in the late 1960s is offering critical services not for Kenya but globally including tracking services for launches of rockets that launch satellites into orbit.
“So, rockets that are being launched from the Americas, French that go out into space are monitored and tracked from this facility,” he said.
Currently, he said the government was using the space agency for more meaningful socio-economic development by utilizing scientific data to support more meaningful analytics and even predictive analytics around Agriculture, to provide decision support to agriculture and ensure food security.
