- He said unqualified and uncertified people have injured the reputation of engineers in shoddy jobs such as collapsed buildings and the construction of roads.
- "Tighten the self-regulation and surveillance mechanisms and get rid of people infiltrating your profession."
Image: DPCS
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has asked the Engineers Board of Kenya to weed out quacks to protect the integrity of the profession.
Gachagua spoke while officially opening the 30th Institution of Engineers of Kenya Convention and the 18th World Council of Engineers at a hotel in Mombasa.
He said that only qualified and certified professionals should be allowed to work.
"Tighten the self-regulation and surveillance mechanisms and get rid of people infiltrating your profession. You must protect your profession," Gachagua said.
The Deputy President said unqualified and uncertified people have injured the reputation of engineers in shoddy jobs such as collapsed buildings and construction of roads, which require repair even before completion.
He said the government is taking measures to bridge about 7,000 demand gaps for engineers in the country for development.
He highlighted that one of the ways was through the allocation of more than Sh628 billion shillings -more than 27.4 per cent of the current budget- to the Education Sector to facilitate full implementation of the Competency-Based Curriculum.
The second in command pointed out that the curriculum emphasises nurturing skill and talent towards the learner's profession of choice, alongside reforms of the funding model for tertiary learning institutions.
Gachagua reiterated that Kenya will continue sending students and young practitioners abroad to build and enhance local expertise to drive sustainable development.
He challenged the engineers to invest in improving and updating their skills to meet the development demands of the country and the globe.
"I want to emphasise that Engineering for a New World must be driven by barrier-breaking innovation. Generating new knowledge means we sharpen the existing expertise through intensified Research and Development. Companies and organisations have no option but to heavily invest in Research and Development," Gachagua said.
He said the Ruto Administration banks relied on cutting-edge engineering expertise in delivering on the various pillars of the Kenya Kwanza Plan.
"There are immense opportunities for investment in various sectors ranging from Agriculture, Manufacturing and Industry, Digital Technology, Affordable Housing, and Affordable Health, among others," the Deputy President said.
Gachagua was accompanied by the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport Kipchumba Murkomen, Principal Secretary for Roads Joseph Mbugua, among leaders and officials as well as representatives of professional engineers organisations from various countries.
His statement comes after CS Murkomen accused the previous regime of the recent roof leak at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Murkomen while responding to a video that had circulated online showing a roof at one of the terminus at JKIA faulted retired President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime for doing a shoddy job in maintenance.
He noted that there were other 12 airstrips across the country that were not well maintained.
"When we got to the office, we found out that many of our airports are in a pathetic state and JKIA leaking is a result of that," he said.
Murkomen said the renovation at JKIA in terminal 1C and I1 was sub-standard because it was only meant to serve temporarily.
The CS said most airport projects are uncompleted because they were given to unqualified contractors who couldn't deliver but to waste money and taint the reputation of the current government.