Engineers Board of Kenya

All protocols observed,

It gives me great pleasure and honor to welcome you all to the golden jubilee celebrations of regulating engineering in Kenya.

The regulation of engineering in Kenya commenced in the year 1969 with the enactment of the Engineers Registration Act. This act established the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) and vested upon it the mandate of registering and licensing engineers in the country.

As we may be aware, before 1969, engineering practice in Kenya was regulated using the British standards.

This law was indeed timely and would enable the Board to register and licence engineers who would practice and render engineering services in various disciplines. It also resonated well with the development objectives of the Country as espoused in various policies such as Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965.

However, as time passed it was noted that Cap 530, as the Act was popularly referred to, needed to be overhauled to provide for an effective legal framework to address the entire value chain of engineering, i.e. engineering education, engineering training and engineering practice.

The Engineers Registration Act, Cap 530 of 1969 was thus repealed when Engineers Act 2011 was enacted. The new law established the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and gave it a wider mandate to register engineers and engineering consulting firms, regulate engineering professional services, set standards and develop the general practice of engineering.

I wish to commend the previous Boards for working tirelessly to ensure that the respective Boards achieved several milestones in carrying out their mandates.

The Board would not have been where it is today were it not for dedicated and committed members that spearheaded and enforced the law and streamlined the engineering practice. I specifically wish to commend the immediate past Board for implementing the Engineers Act, 2011 in spite of various hurdles and teething problems.

The Board has over the past fifty years faithfully lived to expectations of the society in assuring the public of the adequacy and proficiency of engineers registered. Much of this has been achieved through selfless sacrifice of engineers who have committed their time and resources to serve in the Board over the years and have helped in the development of credible systems. Those in the industry and academia have also patriotically given their services in training and imparting relevant skills and ethos.

Chief Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen

Engineering profession derives its essence from the application of sciences to exploit the resources of nature for the benefit of mankind. Indeed, engineering is all about transforming lives. It is about overcoming the forces of nature and creating systems and processes that enhance the quality of lives of humanity.

Chief Guest

As you will readily note, the engineering profession is at the core of delivery the necessary environment for economic prosperity. Indeed, the profession is a most critical enabler of the attainment of the Big Four Agenda and its services cuts across all the four pillars.

As the new Board, we commit to work closely with the government to ensure that the Big Four agenda is fully achieved by providing a quality assurance mechanism for engineers involved in the projects and programs within the affordable housing program, engineers in the manufacturing sector and agricultural sector and those supporting the delivery of Universal Health Care through setting up of necessary infrastructure and equipment for hospital.

Chief Guest

The Board has been at the forefront in development of programs and strengthening the engineering practice including initiating programs such as graduate engineers internship programs, continuing professional programs and accreditation of engineering programs in the Universities. The Board will continue reviewing all these programs to ensure that they serve the intended purpose.

In order to facilitate effective delivery of engineering services, the Board has put in place mechanisms to ensure that the registration process is faster and efficient. The Board is automating all its processes and all the registration processes will now be undertaken online. It is hoped that effective processes will lead to an increase the number of Professional and Consulting engineers registered annually.

Chief Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen

Over the next two days, the Board will be reflecting on the practice over the last fifty years and the way forward for the profession in an even more complex and demanding environment going forward. Engineers will deliberate on their contribution to sustainable development of the economy with special focus on governance and protection and conservation of the environment;

Chief Guest,

It is worthy to mention that the Board has signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the East African Community Common Market Protocol with partners states including Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda and therefore our engineers can freely work in any of these countries. This agreement has provided an opportunity for engineers to seek opportunities across our borders besides learning from each other.

Chief Guest, Ladies and Gentlemen

Today as we launch the new Strategic Plan 2019 2022, we commit to effectively carry out the mandate of the Board and ensure that the Governments medium term plan is achieved. In particular, we commit to reduce the turnaround times for registration of engineers, effectively carry out investigations and take action on cases of professional misconduct and strengthen graduate engineers internship program.

In conclusion

I wish to thank you for finding time to join us today as we cerebrate fifty years of regulating engineering in the Country. We wish to assure the engineering fraternity and the public that the Board is committed and dedicated to offer quality services to all our stakeholders.

Allow me also to take this opportunity to thank the Cabinet Secretary for appointing us into office to spear head this noble task.

I now wish to take this opportunity to introduce the members of the Board of Directors of the Engineers Board of Kenya

ENG. ERASTUS K. MWONGERA , FIEK,RCE,CBS

CHAIRMAN, ENGINEERS BOARD OF KENYA