Professional bodies in the country will be stripped of the power to accredit degree programmes in universities if proposals by the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms are adopted.
Under the proposed reforms, the laws granting professional bodies power to accredit university courses along their profession will be revoked and that mandate given to the Commission for University Education (CUE).
The CUE, and not any professional institution could approve, sanction or withdraw accreditation granted academic programmes in the nation’s universities. “Amend the Universities Act to provide that no professional body shall charge any university fee for accreditation of academic programmes,” the proposal reads in part.
There are 27 professional bodies and associations that operate in the country and regulate the training and conduct of their members.
In effect, the professional bodies, including the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) and the Council of Legal Education (CLE), will have no role in what is taught in universities.
If adopted, the change will settle an age-old battle between the CUE and professional associations over the authority to accredit various university courses.The proposed changes are in line with a High Court ruling made in 2020 that handed accreditation responsibility to the CUE.
“There is an urgent need to amend the respective professional bodies’ Acts to align them with the court ruling and avoid multiple payments by regulations of universities,” the proposal reads.
The ruling was part of three cases; Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board and Others vs the Attorney General, Council for Legal Education vs the Attorney General and the Engineers Board of Kenya vs the Attorney General all in 2017.
The professional bodies challenged the Act at the High Court arguing that it had far-reaching implications on their job to supervise academic programmes in universities.
The cases were consolidated into one and a judgement was issued on June 11 2020. Court of Appeal Judges Mohammed Warsame, Daniel Musinga and Fatuma Sichale ruled that CUE is the only body mandated to regulate standards and accredit courses, in consultation with individual universities.
