Engineers have sounded an alert over the increase of quacks in the profession. They are calling for the speedy enactment of a proposed Bill to enable its professional body keep the engineers on a tight leash.

Engineering Registration Board (ERB) officials said the unregistered engineers are a threat to the economic development of the country.

"If this is allowed then the profession will lose its stature and Kenyan engineers will not compete favourably in the globalised world and needs to be addressed urgently," said Professor Alfred Otieno, vice chair of ERB, during the annual engineering meeting.

The Minister for Roads, Kipkalya Kones, said that he will table the Engineers Registration Act in Parliament.

"The engineers registration Act is in its final stages and will be one of the first Bills to be tabled in Parliament later in the year," said Mr Kones.

Once passed, the Act will give ERB and Institute of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) the muscle to boost training and share knowledge, a move that will result in higher professional standards and improved ethics in the profession.

The government has also developed a comprehensive guideline that will be used by all universities and colleges in developing an engineering curricula to make local engineering courses competitive and globally recognised, said Mr Kones.

The ministry promised to take action on individuals from unrecognised institutions operating as engineers and who are not registered as required by the law.