Local engineers eye more PPPs as Kenya set for global recognition

The emergence of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for capital-intensive projects and the expected Washington Accord status have led engineers to reposition themselves in the country’s industrialisation journey.

The professionals are eyeing bigger opportunities in government-led PPPs under the Procurement Act through their professional body, the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK).

The expected recognition of Kenyan engineers by the Washington Accord (International Engineering Alliance) is expected to give local professionals the same bargaining power as their international counterparts.

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The Washington Accord is an agreement among bodies responsible for accrediting engineers, such as EBK, as well as training institutions.

EBK Chairman Erastus Mwongera, who confirmed that Kenya is set to become a signatory to the Washington Accord by June 2025, said the board recognises engineering programmes and facilitates graduate programmes to build local capacity with practical skills required for industrialisation.

“We are in the global arena pursuing the signatory status of the Washington Accord so that Kenya can be a member of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA),” he said. Eng Mwongera said the board recently completed the mock assessment of the university programmes as part of the requirement.

The actual assessment will be done in November. Eng Mwongera exuded confidence that it would be a success.

“Next year we shall submit the application, and by June 2025, we expect Kenya will be admitted as a signatory and be given interim status,” he said.

As such, Kenyan engineers will be recognised globally. “They do not have to go to other jurisdictions and do additional courses to practise,” said Mwongera.

“Our universities will be centres of excellence, attracting a lot of international students, and our consultants will be able to compete with international consultants without being relegated as local partners.” Eng Mwongera was speaking during a press conference on the upcoming 31st IEK International Convention to be held between October 29 and November 1 in Mombasa.

The theme of this year’s convention is Industrialisation for Economic Transformation and Employment Creation.

Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa noted that industrialisation and job creation are the two pillars that drive this Kenyan economy. “Our projects are designed, implemented, supervised, operated, and maintained by engineers.  Engineers are at the core of every civilisation,” he said.

Eng Mugaa said the ministry has been receiving privately initiated proposals for projects such as the Lamu Desalination Plant and Mzima II pipeline. “Considering our fiscal space, we have to engage private capital in carrying out mega projects. And the only way to engage private capital is for us to attract investors under the PPPs model,” the CS said.

“These PPPs will have our local engineers. There is a local content (clause) where engineers will learn skills transfer from private developers and utilise these skills for future development.“

IEK President Eng Shammah Kiteme said the theme of this year’s convention will feature issues affecting the country.

He said engineers are key in spurring economic growth by putting up the needed infrastructure for other sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing to thrive. Eng Kiteme noted how the contribution of manufacturing to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) dropped from 15 per cent in 2015 to 7.6 per cent in 2023.

“We know that our goal is that by 2030, it should be 20 per cent. This is achievable and that is why as engineers we have embarked on a conversation that will make a step towards this,” he said.

Eng Kiteme said the convention will provide an opportunity for engineering professionals, policymakers, the government, and the private sector to have conversations around the role of engineers in industrialisation, leading to tangible outcomes and spurring positive trends.

“If we witness rapid industrialisation, we will witness the creation of employment opportunities and growth in our economy,” he said. “If this dream (of industrialisation) is realised, civil engineers are going to be very busy constructing the infrastructure to facilitate this rapid growth.”

Eng Kiteme pointed out cases of local engineers being overlooked in favour of foreigners when it comes to the execution of mega projects. This extends of Expression of Interest (EOI) for such projects, which are at times, restricted to foreign firms.

“The voice of engineers is this needs to be addressed. We have to ensure local content requirements are met even as we embrace PPP arrangements,” he said. “We must not sideline Kenyan engineers,” added Eng Kiteme.