The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) will jointly lead roundtable discussions for various sectors as part of celebrations for this year’s World Engineering Day to be held on March 4.
The events in Kenya will be a part of global activities marking the second time the world will be observing a day set aside to celebrate engineers and their achievements. The day was first marked last year.
Engineering for A Healthy Planet
The theme of this year’s celebrations is “Engineering for A Healthy Planet: Celebrating the UNESCO Engineering Report.” The second UNESCO Engineering Report will be launched virtually on Thursday, 4 March 2021 between 3 pm and 5 pm local time.
The online session will be mainly dedicated to the release of the report, in which delegates from the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) have actively participated. Officers from the UN, UNESCO, other international organisations, and experts in the engineering community will join and speak at this exceptional event. We hope that many of you will also be able to attend.
Echoing the World Engineering Day key message, IEK President Eng Nathaniel Matalanga said, “Engineering plays a key role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as it utilizes the principles of science and mathematics to develop practical applications that enhance food security, water supply, reliable energy, the environment, sustainable cities, natural disaster resilience and other areas which are crucial to all mankind. “In Kenya, it is the IEK’s mission to make engineering the heart of our development.”
As the industry regulator, the EBK is responsible for the registration of engineers and engineering firms, regulation of engineering professional services, setting of standards, and the development of the general practice of engineering.
The Chairman of the Board, Eng. Erastus K. Mwongera assures Kenyans of the Board’s commitment in ensuring quality engineering education is offered in Kenyan universities to ensure graduates attain attributes comparable to global standards.
The Board has designed a structured training programme for graduate engineers to ensure they attain the professional competences required to transition to professional practice. Engineers in Kenya are required to keep their skills and knowledge up to date by participating in continuing professional development programmes offered by the Board and its accredited service providers. Quality engineering education, structured professional training and effective regulation of professional engineering services all go to ensuring that Kenya meets her development goals.
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UNESCO is placing a high priority on activities that promote awareness of engineering as a career, as well as on those that demonstrate the importance of the youth studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
In organizing this year’s events, EBK and IEK aim to celebrate Kenyan engineers and key engineering activities in various sectors that have impacted the lives of Kenyans. Other objectives of the celebrations are to showcase the role of engineers in contemporary socio-economic development; to explain the importance of engaging professional engineers in projects at national and county levels; to highlight the role of women in engineering; and to emphasize the importance of engineers in helping Kenya achieve its Vision 2030 goals.
Participants will be drawn from various spheres of influence and will include international participants, Kenyan engineers, and government ministries, departments and agencies related to engineering work.
