- On Monday, October 27, Kenya’s engineering technology professionals held demonstrations in Nairobi
- Led by Kenya Engineering Technology (BTEC) Forum Vice-Chairperson Bibiye Mahmoud, the group issued demands to Members of Parliament (MPs)
- They stated what will happen if the Engineering Technology Act, No. 23 of 2016, is not enacted
Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi – Kenya’s engineering technology professionals are seeking lawful recognition through the Kenya Engineering Technology Registration Board (KETRB) – a regulatory body established in 2016 to regulate and standardise the practice of engineering technologists and technicians in the construction sector.
Source: Facebook
The Kenya Engineering Technology (BTEC) Forum, led by Vice-Chairperson Bibiye Mahmoud, petitioned state agencies on Monday, October 27, threatening a strike if the Engineering Technology Act, No. 23 of 2016, is not enacted.
Engineering technologists argue that the Act, which legally recognises their profession, has been neglected by lawmakers for nine years.
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They also criticise KETRAB’s organisational deficiencies and government underfunding, which they claim have rendered the regulator ineffective in addressing their critical concerns.
“This law legally recognised our profession and established the Kenya Engineering Technology Registration Board (KETRB) to regulate it. The Supreme Court of Kenya later affirmed that Parliament deliberately created “two separate but parallel regulatory frameworks.”
“Yet, nine years later, this Act is being strangled at birth. The most glaring evidence of this sabotage is the deliberate crippling of the KETRB itself,” said Ms Mahmoud while addressing journalists in a matching procession on Parliament Buildings and Harambee Avenues.
The absence of crucial legislation has led to discriminatory career guidelines and exclusion from significant government projects.
This segregation, along with a weak regulatory body, creates a supervisory void that the National Construction Authority ties to building collapses, posing a preventable threat to public safety.
“The Public Service Commission (PSC) issued career guidelines that require our qualifications to be approved by our rival board, the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), because KETRB has been deliberately weakened and lacks the state-backed authority to act. This is illegal and locks out all Bachelor of Technology graduates,” she offered.
Engineering technology professionals are also known as certified engineering technicians and include a wide range of specialists in fields like civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. They are registered and regulated by KETRB to ensure adherence to professional standards.
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Their role is considered crucial for supporting national development goals, including infrastructure and industrialisation, and they have been pushing for formal recognition and career advancement for nearly a decade.
“We specifically call upon His Excellency the President to recognise the looming crisis. With over 2,000 TVET institutions in Kenya, thousands of Engineering Technology graduates enter the market each year. Where are they to go? The current system, by design, has no place for them. This is not just an injustice to practising professionals; it is a time bomb for national youth unemployment and a tragic waste of national talent and training investment,” said Bibiye.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
