Engineers warned against graft as IEK calls for integrity and local inclusion

EACC David Oginde during an event in Nairobi/COURTESY

Engineers have been
urged to take a firm stand against corruption, with leaders in the
profession warning that unethical conduct poses a serious threat to
Kenya’s economic stability, infrastructure development and public
trust.

Ethics and
Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) chairperson David Oginde cautioned
engineers against becoming conduits of graft.

Speaking during the
Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) annual gala dinner in
Nairobi, Oginde likened corruption to termites that silently destroy
a structure from within.

“Corruption is
like a termite. It does not attack a building from the outside; it
eats it slowly from within. By the time you realise what is
happening, the entire structure has collapsed,” Oginde said.
According to Oginde, as professionals in the construction and
infrastructure space, engineers must understand that integrity is not
optional.

He noted that
corruption in infrastructure projects often results in inflated
costs, substandard work, stalled developments and erosion of public
confidence, adding that engineers bear a personal responsibility to
uphold ethical standards in their practice.

IEK President Eng. Shammah Kiteme on his part said the annual gala dinner provided an opportunity
for engineers to reflect on the year gone by as they prepare for the
challenges ahead.

“So much has
happened. Engineers have been involved in numerous projects across
the country, from design and construction to maintenance of critical
infrastructure,” Kiteme said.

“We came together to celebrate
engineers and the role they continue to play in national
development.”

He said the
institution has become increasingly vocal on policy advocacy,
governance and the future of infrastructure development in Kenya.

While welcoming the
government’s ambitious development agenda, including plans to scale
up power generation from about 3,200 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts,
expand transport and logistics networks, and strengthen human
capital, Kiteme raised concern over what he termed the
marginalisation of Kenyan engineers in major infrastructure projects.

“Research has
shown that about 85 per cent of mega infrastructure projects in this
country are handled by foreign firms,” he said.

“This has
effectively turned Kenyan engineers into spectators in projects being
implemented in their own country.”

He noted that the
trend persists despite Kenya being “literally a construction site,”
with multiple ongoing projects that could absorb thousands of local
professionals.

Kiteme also
called for stronger self-regulation within the profession, saying
lapses in practice and oversight have contributed to quality and
governance challenges in the sector.

He further proposed
the establishment of an infrastructure advisory office within the
Office of the President, arguing that while infrastructure is central
to Kenya’s development agenda, there is a gap in technical advisory
capacity at the highest levels of decision-making.

“There is very
aggressive and welcome focus on infrastructure from the Office of the
President,” he said.

He warned that
appointing non-engineers to head institutions with fundamentally
technical mandates could have far-reaching consequences.

“With the right
expertise and data-driven approaches, infrastructure decisions can be
made far more effectively than what we are seeing today,” he said.