Ugandan Engineers To Be Licensed Annually As New Bill Tabled

The Parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure has been tasked to process the Engineering Professionals Bill, 2024 in which the Government seeks to license Engineers, Technicians, Technologists and Consultants on an annual basis.

The Bill was read for the first time by State Minister for Works (in charge of Roads), Musa Echweru during the House’s regional sitting taking place in Gulu City, northern Uganda. Speaker Anita Among who presided over the sitting gave the Committee 45 days to report on the Bill before it is read for the second time.

According to the Minister, much as the Engineers working in Uganda are registered under the Engineers Registration Act, there is no licensing regime for these professionals as it is done elsewhere.

“The Act (Engineers Registration) 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,” reads the justification of the Bill.

Therefore, the Government in the Bill seeks to regulate the technologists and engineers who are the other cadres of engineering professionals aside from Engineers; provide for the licensing of engineering professionals; provide for a code of ethics for the engineering professionals and, provide for a mechanism for inquiry into the conduct of an engineering professional who contravenes the code of ethics.

In order to be able to license all the Engineers, Technologists, Technicians and Consultants in the country, the Government wants the law to provide for the establishment of the Engineering Professionals Board. In clause 13, the functions of the Board will include regulating the practice of engineering professionals in Uganda, register engineers, technologists and technicians; issue them with annual practicing licenses and, regulating the continuous professional development programmes offered by the engineering professionals.

In Clause 4, the Government seeks to establish the Uganda Institution of Engineering Professionals with a duty of maintaining and improving the standard of the engineering professionals;  offering continuous professional development programmes to engineering professionals and, facilitating the acquisition of knowledge in engineering by the engineering professionals.

To be registered and licensed as an engineer in Uganda, one would have to present certified papers for bachelors degree in engineering or its equivalent as issued by a University or institution recognised by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). In addition, an engineer would not be registered and licensed to practice in Uganda if he or she has not postgraduate practical training as engineers for at least two years.

For the technicians to be joining the engineering professionals institution and secure annual practicing licenses, one has to hold an ordinary diploma in engineering or technology or qualification equivalent to the ordinary diploma in the same discipline. What is more stringent is that this category of professionals must have experience of not less than four years as technicians as per Clause 4 (f)(ii).

The Government has not suggested the amount of money required for one to be licensed as an Engineer, Technologist, Technician or Engineering Consultant because this would be a preserve of the Uganda Institution of Engineering Professionals.

Under Clause 26, the Board of the institution would have powers to revoke the registration of any engineering professional where he or she requests the name to be removed from the register through a sworn affidavit; if the board finds he or she guilty of professional misconduct or does not pay annual license fees for three consecutive years.

While Uganda is known for hiring multinational construction firms to implement infrastructural projects like roads, the new law has also provided for temporary registration of foreign engineering professionals. These will also be registered upon adducing evidence that they meet the required qualification and experiences for one to practice in Uganda.

In order to ensure sanity in the engineering profession in the country, the Government wants to enforce a Professional Code of Ethics which if passed into law shall be prescribed in the regulations made under the Act.

The Government has also suggested under Clause 43 some of the offenses and penalties for misuse of the title Engineer, Technician, Technologist and Engineering Consultants. Such a person on conviction would be liable to a fine not exceeding UGX1m or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.

Any person who is convicted for fraudulently making any incorrect or false entry in the register; fraudulently causes to be registered; fails or neglects registrations ; practices illegally and who knowingly makes a false statement in a material particular or which is misleading, would face fine not exceeding UGX1m or imprisonment for two years or both.