Kenyan engineers to get jobs abroad after board signed Washington Accord

Kenya’s delegation comprising representatives of the Council of Engineering Deans and Principals, Commission of University Education, engineering professional associations and the Institution of Engineers of Kenya at the International Engineering Alliance Meeting 2025 in Merida, Mexico. Photo Courtesy/Engineers Board of Kenya.

Kenyan Engineers have reached a historic milestone after the Engineers Board of Kenya acceded to the Washington Accord as a Provisional Signatory.

This followed concerted efforts by key stakeholders, including universities offering engineering Programs coordinated by the Council of Engineering Deans and Principals, the Commission of University Education, and engineering professionals' associations IEK, at the International Engineering Alliance Meeting 2025 in Merida, Mexico.

This significant milestone of Kenya acceding to the Washington Accord creates opportunities for engineering skills made in Kenya to be exported around the world, without the need for retraining, and will secure job opportunities for thousands of Kenyan engineering graduates to offer their expertise on engineering projects around the world.

Engineers Board of Kenya, in its regulatory mandate, has been actively engaging and working closely with universities across the country that teach Engineering programs to validate and accredit programs to ensure they match international standards on offer across the world.

The Washington Accord is an international agreement signed in 1989 by organisations responsible for accrediting engineering degree programs in their respective countries.

What the Washington Accord Represents: Mutual Recognition, Professional Mobility and Benchmarking Standards.

The "Washington signing" by engineers refers to the formal participation in the Washington Accord, which underpins the global recognition and mobility of professional engineers by standardising and mutually recognising accredited engineering qualifications among member countries