One hundred and sixteen engineering graduates of the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) have taken the Engineers Board of Kenya to court over the failure to register and issue them with licences to practice. The petitioners accused the board of denying them an opportunity to secure employment over the failure to recognise their degrees and register them as engineers.
The TUK graduates have faulted the Board for refusing them registration on the premise of the naming or wording of the degree programme, without taking into account the substance of the degree which is the same as that in Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The 116 Bachelor of Technology and Engineering graduates, were conferred degrees in Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
“The lack of registration and licensing as engineers has denied and continue to deny the petitioners an opportunity to secure employment either in public or private practice,” the petition stated. The petitioners led by Shadrack Nyaanga, Kennedy Ondera and Julius Ndambuki said the degree courses was first introduced at TUK in 2009, then known as Kenya Polytechnic University College.
After graduating, the petitioners said they applied for permits to practice in their respective fields but the board failed to register them. They said the board verbally communicated the decision to refuse them registration. According to the petitioners, the Registrar of the Board allegedly informed them that they only register graduates holding Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Engineering degrees.
It is their argument that the decision is arbitrary, oppressive, insensitive, and discriminatory, lacks merit and a violation of their rights to a legitimate expectation of registration upon completion of training. They pointed out that the Engineers Act states that a person shall be eligible for registration under the Act as a graduate engineer if that person holds a degree in engineering from a recognised university or such other qualification as the board may determine.
“The Engineers Act recognises all persons holding a degree in engineering from a recognised university is eligible for registration and does not discriminate any person holding an engineering degree merely on the wording of their degree or programme.
They said the curriculum used to teach and train both the Bachelor of technology in Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering students at TUK was approved and accredited by the University’s Senate and Commission for University Education (CUE). Students pursuing both courses, they added, underwent similar training, were taught by the same lecturers, used similar laboratories and even sat the same exams administered by TUK.
Meanwhile, Members of Parliament have given the University of Nairobi Council one week to resolve what they described as a governance crisis that has disrupted operations at the institution. The directive follows a stormy meeting with the National Assembly’s Committee on Education, which was abruptly adjourned after the council failed to provide sufficient answers and documentation to the MPs’ questions.
Chairperson of the committee Julius Meli criticised the council for its lack of preparedness and failure to address critical concerns. According to the Chairman, the university is being managed through an illegal structure that does not align with the University Act or its statutes.
“We have given the council until next Thursday to prepare adequately. The council claimed they lacked enough time to prepare for this meeting. Consequently, we had to adjourn because they were not ready to address the issues raised. One of the major concerns is the university’s management structure. The council has been operating the university through an entity that violates the Universities Act and the institution’s statutes,” said Mr Meli.
