Finally, reality has set in. For such a long time, some 3,000 or so registered engineers in Kenya have dominated, capitalized and taken advantage of few opportunities in the field of engineering. They even went as far as passing the Engineers Act 2011, an act that seeks to empower the Engineers Board of Kenya with exceess powers to run the show, purport to run universities offering engineering, and register engineers.
Interestingly, the registered engineers are again put in two categories: Graduate and professional. Their logic was to have graduate engineers to be mentored by professional engineers. This is a good thing, however, what happens to a graduate engineer who fulfills all these requirements and have been mentored for after 5years? It takes effort, time and of course money to get registered as a professional engineer.
All these hurdles have ensured that there are fewer and fewer registered engineers in the field.
We welcomed the Chinese to Kenya, we allowed them to build Thika Superhighway, we allowed the Chinese to build the University of Nairobi towers, while on the ground floor, our students studying engineering were not involved in the colossal project. What do you think happens to the Kenyan engineer then?
Currently, the Kenyan engineer, whether professional or graduate is losing their job, simply because we are inexperienced, demoralized and more so, we are not united as engineers.
If you look at the qualifications of these Chinese engineers, their country grants them practicing licenses just six months after they graduate, they sit for a professional exam and that is it....that is it...This then empowers the new engineer to work in the field, all this time gaining valuable experience. The Chinese system recognises both the diploma, degree and certificate levels of engineering, thus the areas of speciality have resulted in highly skilled personnel.
It is interesting to learn that even for the registered Kenyan engineers supervising projects, we still read about collapsed buildings, collapsed bridges and all manner of calamities.
Now, The same registered Kenyan engineers are plannning to march on the streets, claiming that they are educated and they would wish to be given government contracts. Their letter informing the Police about the protest is here below:
Wait and see how a trickle of engineers (those registered) would waste their time to be hit by the scorching sun, wearing helmets and making a protest. Their voices will run hoarse, singing a song of a tragedy that they called it upon themselves. Their voices would not even feature in main stream media owing to their small number, and thus can have little impact. If they would be so bold, they may mask their faces, do their mini protest and head back to their offices after an hour in the sun.
When did the rain start beating us???
EBK and IEK has succeeded in creating an exclusive club of very few professional engineers, majority of whom are still referring to their 1980 university notes and so rigid to adapt to the changing engineering landscape.
That is why our engineers are quick to oppose any new technology like interlocking bricks technology, or alternative building methods, or new engineering disciplines like marine engineering and micro controllers, simply because they have no idea of how the modern things work out.
Simply put, if the Engineers Board of Kenya and the the Institution of Engineers of Kenya does not update their mandates, soon we will be schooled and managed by the Chinese engineers, majority of whom have a college diploma, but can deliver their task with precision.
WAKE UP Engineers!!!! Let us form our own Engineers Union and turn the tables on the current engineering regulations, Have ourselves fully registered and gain international recognition.
FIRST: All engineering graduates should use the prefix Eng. on their names (after they get their graduation certificate)
SECOND: All engineers fresh from university should be attached to a government project
THIRD: All graduates should sit for an exam, upon passing this exam, they are given a license to practice as a fully fledged, independent, self responsible engineer.
FOURTH: Let the world see what Kenyan Engineers can do and achieve
Eng. Luke Toroitich
ltoroitich@gmail.com
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