Concern over low enrolment as Women in Engineering Day marked
Women engineers mark International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, 2023. They held a procession at Daystar University, Nairobi.
What you need to know:
- Over 300 Kenyan women engineers will today mark this year’s International Women in Engineering Day.
- The day is marked on June 23 every year to honour women in engineering and celebrate their outstanding achievements.
Over 300 Kenyan women engineers today marked this year’s International Women in Engineering Day at Daystar University, Nairobi.
The day is marked on June 23 every year to honour women in engineering and celebrate their outstanding achievements.
“This year’s theme is ‘Make Safety Seen’, which is an opportunity to promote engineering as a career for women and highlight how engineering can change the world for the better,” said Eng Florah Kamanja, the chair of Women Engineers Committee, a network that empowers women engineers by developing their professional and leadership potential.
Eng Kamanja urged the government to ensure women engineers access opportunities in government. "The government should put in place measures to encourage more girls to take up science-related subjects right from primary schools," she added.
The event was followed by a procession on Daystar-Valley Road and a tree planting session. The celebrations came on the heels of World Engineering Day that saw seven women innovators feted on March 4.
Eng Norah Magero was recognised for her VacciBox, a portable solar fridge that can be mounted on a motorbike, bicycle, or boat, to safely store and transport vaccines, drugs, and blood for transfusion to remote, hard-to-reach and off-grid rural communities.
Eng Dorcas Aliaka and Eng Olyvia Shikhule, the brains behind DroneLab, were also recognised. DroneLab is a drone technology demonstrator and training tool believed to be a game changer in teaching of science courses in the Competency-Based Curriculum.
Eng Carol Chepkemoi was recognised for her Intelligent Traffic Management System at junctions, Eng Merlyne Florah for the Case Conveyor Controller, and Eng Janet Kangogo for her Emechaniq and Matharecycle.
The engineers today raised concerns about low enrolment of girls for engineering courses, with some students switching to other courses before completion. Most Kenyan secondary schools’ laboratories are ill-equipped for students to carry out experiments, hence they perceive sciences as dull, theoretical and abstract.
The number of female engineers is far below that of their male counterparts. For instance, they account for only 13 per cent of over 11,000 members of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK).
The IEK last year launched a ‘She for She’ programme to grow women membership to at least 30 per cent. “The aim is to pair up young female engineers with experienced ones for mentorship and coaching. It is the responsibility of every female engineer to empower another female engineer,” Eng Kamanja said.
Dr Mary Nyasimi, Unesco representative, said the United Nations agency has initiated various programmes aimed at encouraging girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) courses.
“One of the initiatives is Stem Camps in schools with an aim to increase female enrolment into engineering and applied science courses and taking up science-based professions,” said Dr Nyasimi.
“Next week we are having a Stem camp at Tumutumu Girls' High School, Nyeri County, where 130 girls will participate.”
