Projects: Engineers Board goes digital

ACEK President Jane Mutulili presents an award to Eng Runji Ngware, former ACEK chairman, during the annual dinner in Nairobi. [Najinia Wamuswa, Standard] 

The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) has embarked on digital registration of all engineering projects to strengthen professionalism in the sector.

EBK Chief Executive Eng Margaret Ogai says the lobby has launched the Engineers Project Registration Portal, a platform through which engineers must register their projects and obtain a unique identification number before submitting their drawings to county authorities.

Eng Ogai revealed that the board has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Construction Authority (NCA) as well as the Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors (BORAQS) to ensure all projects across the country are adequately designed and supervised.

“We have a collaboration with NCA and BORAQS. We have an MoU, and we are trying to exchange information so that we can know if this building is properly designed and then properly supervised,” she stated.

The CEO made the remarks in Nairobi on the sidelines of the recent Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya (ACEK) Annual Dinner dubbed Celebrating Engineers’ Contributions through Memoirs and Publications.

She cautioned private developers for failing to meet the set standards, accusing them of taking shortcuts when constructing buildings.

“As a private developer, everybody wants to put up their house, a small building, or a flat. That is where all the issues start arising. They might not employ a registered engineer to do the design for them. Again, when they go to the counties, sometimes they do not get approval done by an engineer,” Eng Ogai says.

She also noted the majority of the private projects do not have approvals and valid permits from NCA.

Speaking at the same event, ACEK President Eng Jane Mutulili underscored the need for the government and private sector to seek consultancy services while coming up with preparation and designs for various projects such as roads, buildings and water services.

“We stand for excellence. We do our designs, and our designs show. If your design is being done by a consulting engineer, you are actually safe, and that is what we stand for,” Eng Mutulili explains.