Engineers rarely engage in press debates about anything.
But news of buildings collapsing and killing fellow Kenyans every other month and lamentations from concerned citizens as to whether those in the engineering construction sector have any conscience means urgent action is needed.
Anyone with engineering papers is jointly liable, through their joint or individual action or inaction. For engineers, the construction industry is the final visible phase of all those rigorous design calculations and drawings checked and counter-checked by consultants working quietly in backrooms.
It is the marketing face of the profession, which describes to the public what engineers do. It is what a student sees and decides that “when I grow up, I want to become an engineer”.
The best engineers must be deployed in construction and not in consultancy as is the case now. Kenyan engineers have their strategy upside down!
We as a profession somehow decided engineering construction is not as important as engineering consultancy. We set up a registration system whereby everyone is invited to be an engineering contractor.
As a result, most of those making engineering decisions (such as the bearing capacity of a foundation, amount of cement in a concrete mix, spacing of reinforcement, time for curing) are not qualified.
Morally and legally, such fans of engineering construction take no responsibility for their actions or inactions. Don’t even bother looking for them when a building collapses. Yet it is not lack of qualified manpower... we produce, at a very expensive price to the taxpayer, about 500 graduate engineers from our universities every year.
Where do these bright young engineers, the cream of our education system end up?
When I last visited Dar es Salaam in 2005, every construction site, even the putting up of a fencing wall or partitioning a building indicating the plot number, the date of approval of the building project, the name of the architect, structural engineer and other professionals on site and the name of the contractor on site.
Every time the municipal authorities visited the site and found that the publicity board hadn’t been yet put up, an automatic fine, the equivalent of Sh150,000 was levied on the contractor. Why have we failed to implement some of these best practices to save lives?
Ambrose Waswa, Consulting Engineer, Nairobi.
Set up kitty to assist cerebral palsy patients
The rise in cases of children born with cerebral palsy is worrying. Victims of this condition need round-the-clock care. Their family members usually provide this.
While the condition has no cure, available interventions to manage it are usually beyond the reach of ordinary Kenyans.
Furthermore, those seeking the interventions have to travel long distances, as they are very few medical facilities offering them.
This is sadly compounded by the fact that some parents have to endure stigmatisation with others even opting to give up their jobs to care for their affected children.
It is in light of this that the Government should establish a kitty to boost those who cannot afford the treatment.
After all, doesn’t the Government use billions of shillings on normal children in the Free Primary Education Programme?
Malik Sumba, Nairobi
Minister did well to bring landlords into the tax net
Allow me to congratulate the honourable Minister for Finance for romping landlords into the tax bracket.
It is regrettable that some Kenyans earning high income through property ownership have evaded the taxman while low income earning citizens have borne the burden of moving this country forward.
Majority of landlords these days take rent deposits of up to three months and yet they penalise tenants for late payments.
At the end of the tenancy, the landlords charge for renovations of the premises from the deposits as if it’s the tenant’s responsibility to cater for natural atrophy of the property.
What is more, even in cases where the vacating tenant has ensured that necessary repairs have been done, landlord still takes his/her sweet time to refund the deposit. Clearly, this sector needs urgent reforms.
Peter Muiru, Eldoret
Tribute to patriots gone too early
The year 2012 has been truly a sad one for Kenya and especially to the political class. In a period of less than six months, the country has lost four national leaders. Nevertheless, their contribution to society will be remembered for generations. Michuki’s stint at the Transport ministry is still remembered with nostalgia and his name became synonymous with discipline and dedicated service in whichever ministry he served.
Njenga Karume’s business acumen is unrivalled by many standards and his story remains an inspiration to many.
Most recently, an air accident robbed the country of its two ministers in charge of security. Many a keen observer of public affairs will admit that the partnership of George Saitoti and Orwa Ojode was one that provided a good model for bipartisan co-operation and dedicated service.
They handled this sensitive ministry with a zeal that is rarely seen in other Government ministries.
Their representation of their docket in Parliament made it difficult to tell who was the minister and the assistant. Once again, death has robbed this country of its patriotic sons and daughters.
Magdalyne Machogu, via e-mail
It’s time for Kenya to join Unitaid drive
Unitaid was created in 2006 by France, Brazil, Chile, Norway and the United Kingdom to scale up access to treatment for HIV/Aids, TB and Malaria in developing countries through innovative financing and innovative spending. Its membership has been extended to 30 countries.
With support of the United States $78 million, Kenya is thethird largest beneficiary of Unitaid after Nigeria and Uganda.
As a result of this support, more than 320,000 tests have been done for early infant diagnosis, about 49,000 children treated with Anti-retrovirals and about 46,000 adults are using second-line treatments.
More than 26 million co-paid ACT treatments have been delivered through Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria (AMFm). Through AMFm, Unitaid has contributed to an 80 per cent cost reduction of more efficient anti-malarial drugs in Kenya, with a Sh40 Kenya shillings dose now being proposed country-wide, instead of Sh680.
It is therefore surprising that Kenya, having benefited that much from Unitaid, has not yet joined the initiative.
Through creating, catalysing and correcting markets for drugs and diagnostics, Unitaid has achieved spectacular reductions in the cost of drugs – some antiretroviral formulations are down by up to 65 per cent.
Amongst the many mechanisms initiated by governments and multilateral agencies, the air ticket solidarity levy piloted and successfully implemented by Unitaid since 2006 has been an unqualified success.
It has demonstrated conclusively that innovative financing for health has worked and worked effectively.
It is largely financed by a small and painless levy on airline tickets, according to modalities decided by every implementing country.
The Executive Director of Unitaid, Denis Broun, will visit Kenya from June 18 to 20 June, and we hope that as an outcome of his visit, Kenya will soon join the Unitaid initiative.
Mr Konrad Paulsen (Chile), Mr Jean Pierre Ossey (Republic of Congo), Mr Etienne de Poncins (France), Mr Kim Chan-Woo (Korea) and Mr Javier Herrer (Spain).
Terror suspect arrest welcome
On Tuesday last week, Tanzanian authorities announced that they had arrested Emrah Erdogan. Police say the man was behind the blast at Assanands House in downtown Nairobi that left one person dead and several others injured three weeks ago.
The attacker is said to have entered Kenya through Garissa and fled the country soon after the blast.
The arrest is major step in the fight against terror, as it points to increased co-operation between governments in nabbing those behind terror activities. Information-sharing between States regarding terror activities must be stepped up.
Justin Osey Peter, Mombasa
