The Institution of Engineers Rwanda (IER) has called for enforcement of a law that requires all practitioners of engineering works to be registered with the body. According to Steven Sabiti, the Executive Secretary of IER, the body is aware that there are still people who do engineering jobs, even working with government institutions, and yet they are not registered. He revealed that a person is called an engineer only if they join the institution and are given an engineering number and can then have “Engineer” title added on their names. When asked why some practitioners still haven’t joined IER, he said it is because they can still work without being asked for certification which he said is a criminal act, adding that when practitioners register and be put in levels based on their experience and exposure, among other factors, they can legally do what they are capable of. Sabiti urged the government and different institutions that employ engineers to enforce the law in order to solve the issue. Established as a Professional Regulatory Body by the Law no. 26/2012 of 29th June 2012, the Institute of Engineers Rwanda strives to become a centre of excellence and best practices in advancing and promoting Engineering profession in the country. Recently on February 11, IER has received 116 new members, including 86 engineers and 30 professional technologists who presented their oaths at the body’s headquarters. They added up to 1,483 registered engineers, 201 technologists and 25 technicians who were registered before. Sabiti noted that enhancing the skills of IER members is one of their goals as they strive to contribute to building and maintaining infrastructures of the country. Another key role of the institution is to issue licence to engineering professionals, a process that begins with one applying for membership and climaxes with an oath of allegiance to the profession. Jean Pierre Niyibizi, a certified Geotechnical Engineer with IER said that since he joined the institution, he has been able to apply for tenders for different projects that required him to be in the institution unlike before when he hadn’t joined. He has also gotten around three opportunities and have made connections with fellow engineers and private sector leaders who got to know him and appreciated his skills. For him, engineering job practitioners who are not yet registered with the institution will in the near future get limited opportunities since all tenders are now requiring one to be recognised by the institution. He urged them to join the institution and stop working without certification, adding that as they work in a cage, they will not get exposure hence do not excel to work on big projects that result in higher experiences.
