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THE engineering profession in Kenya is guided by the Code of Professional Conduct (also referred to as Code of Ethics
or Code of Conduct) as envisioned in the Engineers Act 2011, which every engineer is expected to uphold in order to advance the integrity, honour and dignity of the profession.
The Engineers Act 2011 defines the Code of Ethics as “a set of standards for engineers‘ obligations to the public, their clients, employers and the profession encompassing right conduct.”
This essentially means the mandate of engineers stretches beyond just solving complex problems. In fact, today’s engineer is expected to not only engage in matters engineering but also matters advocating for and advancing good socio-economic governance.
First, we should actively collaborate with county and national governments through legal institutions (including non-governmental organisations) that are mandated to fight corruption.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is one such government body, which engineers, through the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) and the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), must work with in the fight against corruption. The EACC has in the past stated that engineers facilitate cases of white- collar corruption in the country.
The IEK, under the current leadership of Eng. Nathaniel Matalanga, has in the recent past engaged with engineers in a number of forums to sensitise them on this vice and it should be applauded and supported. Secondly, the EBK should find mechanisms to enhance the confidence of engineers and the public in the reporting and dealing with complaints and disciplinary processes and actions against suspected and convicted engineers as part of its mandate to regulate engineering professional services in Kenya.
Finally, the synergistic relationship between the need to flag and/or report corruption cases in the engineering profession and sensitisation of the public on what they should expect of engineers should not be underestimated.
As engineers, we must be willing to
OTIENO: We need to engineer ways to fight corruption
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chief Executive Twalib Mbarak at a past function. IEK collaborates with EACC in training and capacity building for engineers in the fight against corruption.
be held to higher account in society, just like public officers as stipulated in Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Engineers should be seen to shun corruption so that instead of becoming enemies of society, we constantly align ourselves to the demands of the society we serve.
Corruption threatens our core values and sense of purpose [beyond just making money] as engineers andmustthereforebestopped.We cannot compromise our standards for the sake of expediency. Inasmuch as profitability is a necessary condition for existence, it is not the end in itself
The Code of Ethics should be the overarching guide in our day-to-day professional practice. It may not change but it does inspire change. Ultimately, as engineers, we have a duty of care to use our agency to condemn corruption in order to preserve the status of the profession.
for us as engineers, especially if facilitated by corrupt activities.
The Code of Ethics should be the overarching guide in our day-to-day professional practice. It may not change but it does inspire change. Ultimately, as engineers, we have a duty of care to use our agency to condemn corruption in order to preserve the status of the profession.
The fight against corruption is binaryandalmostcult-like;weas engineers are either in or out – there is no middle ground.
As engineers, we must continue to harness the resources of nature for the benefit of society in a mutually beneficial manner, but never at the expense of our core values.
In fact, if you are not serving the society, or supporting the folks who do, then we do not need you in the profession because, in the words of Hardy Cross, the purpose of engineering, just like education in general, must be service and not self- promotion.
Mike Otieno, Associate Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Email: Mike. Otieno@wits.ac.za
Engineering in Kenya Magazine Issue 002
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