Engineers and technologists without requisite qualifications or those who practice without a valid license risk a jail term of two years or being fined Shs 1 million according to the Engineering Professionals Bill, 2024 tabled today in Parliament.
The minister of state for Works, Musa Ecweru defended the enactment of the law noting that The Engineers Registration Act Cap. 271, regulates aspects of engineers only, and does not provide for the regulation of the other engineering professionals including the technologists and technicians.
“The Act provides for registration but does not provide for licensing of the engineering professionals. The Act does not provide for a code of ethics or any mechanism for inquiry into the conduct of an engineering professional who contravenes the code of ethics. There is therefore need to regulate the technologists and engineers who are the other cadres of engineering professionals aside from engineers, to provide for the licensing of the engineering professionals and provide for a code of ethics for the engineering professionals and a mechanism for inquiry into the conduct of an engineering professional who contravenes the code of ethics,” Ecweru said.
In clause 44 of the bill, government has proposed a number of offences and penalties, and is seeking Parliament to bar any person from; (a) fraudulently making, or causing or permitting to make, any false or incorrect entry in the register or any copy of it; (b) fraudulently procuring or attempting to procure himself or herself for any other person to be registered under this Act, to have anyone who commits any of these offence to be held liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty currency points (Shs1M) or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both.