Kenya is facing a major shortage of professional engineers despite the high demand for such professionals.
According to the Engineer’s Board of Kenya, there are currently only 2,000 certified engineers against a demand of 20,000 across the country.
It is 50 years now since the Engineer’s Board of Kenya was formed under the engineer’s registration act of 1969.
But according to the engineers’ registration body, Kenya is confronted by an alarming skill gap in the field of engineering which the government’s development agenda is hinged on.
There are 20,000 graduate engineers to 3,000 professional engineers, translating to a ratio of one professional engineer to 7 graduate engineers.
The board is also calling on the government to create incentives aimed at increasing the number of professional engineers while restricting quacks from the industry.
The Engineer’s Board of Kenya wants the government to initiate a national safety audit on buildings in Kenya.
This coming in the wake of the recent collapse of a seven storey building in Nairobi.
The government has however challenged the Engineers Board of Kenya and the Institute of Engineers of Kenya to make amendment proposals to the engineer’s act, 2011 to reinforce the code of conduct in the engineering industry.
