Engineers urged to focus on climate change, professionalism

The Institution of Engineers in Kenya has opened its 29th international convention conference on Sustainable Engineering in the era of climate change.

The event, happening at Diani Reef in Kwale was officially opened by Water CS Alice Wahome.

The IEK meeting is aimed at focusing on key strategic programs and recommendations addressing gaps to prevent further collapsing of buildings and loss of lives.

The recommendation report was forwarded to the Ministry in August, for implementation in accordance with Section 7(1)(u) of the Engineers Act 2011.

It is expected to aid in the enhancement of the disciplinary committees in reviewing complaints raised against professional engineers.

During the opening, Engineer Boards of Kenya chairman Erastus Mwongera urged the IEK stakeholders to engage in discussions about climate change.

"There is an urgent need for our country Kenya, our region and the world at large to accelerate the adoption of sustainable engineering models to address the pressing challenges of climate change such as environmental degradation, freshwater scarcity, loss of biodiversity and natural resource depletion," he said.

Further, the Board is expected to set standards for engineers in management, marketing, professional ethics, safety, legal matters, and any relevant field with the aim of achieving a safe and efficient engineering infrastructure.

Mwongera urged developers to only engage qualified professional engineers and enter into contractual agreements where their roles and responsibilities are clear.

He also urged prospective students to ensure they enrol in engineering courses that are recognized by the Board.

Further, he called on higher learning institutions to offer engineering degree courses recognized by the Board as this will ensure that graduate engineers are fit for the industry.

The Board has set a strategic intention to have in its register 10,000 engineers by 2027.

To achieve this, the Board has put in place the Graduate Internship Programme (GEIP) which aims to ensure that graduate engineers across all MCDAs and private sector employers go through structured training.

This will enable them to gain the professional competencies required within the stipulated period of three years.

The Board has entered into agreements with Isuzu, KEBS, Davis and Shirtliff and is preparing MOUs for KeTRACO.

Further, the Board is expected to set standards for engineers in management, marketing, professional ethics, environmental issues, safety, legal matters, and any relevant field with the aim of achieving a safe and efficient engineering infrastructure.

It has also been involved in various trade talks organized under the Ministry of Trade on the liberalization of various professional services at the global, continental and regional levels.

Mwongera said they are fully committed to increasing intra-Africa and global trade and developing various capacity-building programmes to ensure consulting engineering firms are able to take up opportunities across the globe.

"To achieve the above milestones, the Board acknowledges the support it has received and continues to receive from all our stakeholders and partners particularly our parent Ministry of Roads and Transport," he added.

EBK is a statutory body established under Section 3(1) of the Engineers Act 2011, mandated with developing and regulating engineering practices in Kenya.