The government has tabled the Engineering Professionals Bill, 2024, in which it is seeking to regulate and impose a code of conduct for both engineers and technologists in Uganda, with a proposed jail term of 2 years or a fine of Shs1M or both, for anyone who passes off as an engineer or technologist or practices without a valid license.
The Minister of State for Works, Musa Ecweru, defended the enactment of the law, arguing 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 a 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,” noted Minister Ecweru.
In clause 44 of the proposed bill, the government has proposed a number of offenses 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 procures or attempts to procure himself or herself for any other person to be registered under this Act;
(c) qualifies for registration under sections 22, 23, and 24, who fails or neglects to register in accordance with the sections;
(d) practices or attempts to practice as a registered engineer, registered technologist, or registered technician without holding a valid annual license; or
(e) knowingly and wilfully makes any statement which is false in a material particular or which is misleading, with a view to gaining any advantage, concession, or privilege under this Act whether for himself or herself or for any other person, commits an offense and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty currency points or imprisonment not exceeding two years or both.
(2) Where a person who commits an offense under subsection (t) is a body corporate, every person who, at the time of the commission of the offense, was a director or officer of the body corporate may be charged jointly, in the same proceedings with the body corporate, and when the body corporate is convicted of that offense, every director or officer shall be deemed to have committed the same offense unless he or she proves that the offense was committed without his or her knowledge or that he or she exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of the offense.
