Eldoret: Engineering Technologists on Wednesday held a procession in Eldoret city and its environs to celebrate 10 years since the enactment of the Engineering Technology Act, 2016, underscoring its importance in realizing the country’s long-term development.
According to Kenya News Agency, the procession was led by The Institution of Engineering Technology of Kenya (IET-K) President Bibiye Mahmoud Juma, who commended the sector as a critical driver of Kenya’s industrialization agenda. She emphasized that engineering technology would play a central role in implementing the country’s development aspirations beyond Vision 2030.
Speaking during the 10th anniversary celebrations of the legislation, Juma urged the government to expedite the constitution of the regulatory board and facilitate the enactment of necessary regulations. Engineering technologists and technicians have called on the Government to urgently appoint the board of their regulatory body, as its prolonged absence is hampering sector growth and undermining efforts to enhance public safety.
The IET-K president highlighted that engineering technologists, technicians, craftspeople, and artisans are vital to the country’s economic transformation, particularly in industrialization, infrastructure development, and innovation. “We are the drivers of this economy and the ones who will ensure that we move forward in terms of industrialization and our vision beyond 2030,” she noted.
Juma warned that gaps in regulation and professional oversight could have serious implications for public safety, citing building collapses and disruptions in essential services as examples of challenges needing stronger engineering standards and professional accountability. She recalled that the sector had once gone over three years without a regulatory board, resulting in a lapse in the registration of professionals and slowing industry development.
She appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Transport to ensure the board is appointed without further delay. “We request the CS to ensure that we get our board the soonest for us to be able to have the standards set, professionals work and ensure public safety in our country,” said Juma.
Dr. Cecilia Ngetich, who played a key role in shepherding the Bill through Parliament, said the legislation had provided a home for professionals who previously operated without a comprehensive regulatory framework. She noted the establishment of the Kenya Engineering Technology Registration Board had registered about 15,000 members, although this number could have been higher without interruptions in the board’s operations.
Ngetich emphasized the necessity of continued registration and regulation of professionals to guarantee competence and protect the public. She also challenged industries to engage qualified and certified professionals instead of opting for cheap labor, cautioning that employing unqualified personnel could compromise safety and infrastructure integrity.
Prof. Charles Ondieki, former Honorary Treasurer and Council member for IET-K, called for greater government investment in technical and vocational education and training, arguing that meaningful economic development requires a strong technical workforce. He advocated for greater prominence of the technical sector within government, noting that countries in Southeast Asia have successfully centered their economic transformations on technical skills and small and medium enterprises.
Ondieki also called for closer collaboration between engineers and engineering technologists, suggesting that stronger collaboration would improve project quality and help address failures such as collapsing buildings. He concluded that Kenya should move beyond debating the sector’s importance and focus on implementing policies to strengthen engineering technology.
