It's important to note that there’s probably a significant number of undocumented engineers particularly in the diaspora. However, including them will likely not move that statistic above 10% at best. The obvious benefit to being a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya (IEK) fraternity is with the support of an umbrella body that contributes towards developing the policy framework, we can agitate in a more structured way for inclusion. I would urge all to consider being at least graduate members of this body.
Queengineers is a publication that seeks to engage, entertain, inform and inspire young African girls interested in engineering. We intend to increase the visibility of the much talked about ‘absent’ role models but also provide a voice and community for the 7% already in the sector. We opted to publish online because social movements are currently thriving on the internet as the community of users tends to be wider and more diverse. It is here where we can use our own personal experiences, at a considerably low cost I must add, to start dialogues that can enact change. To be fair, this isn’t simply a Kenyan or even African problem, as evidenced by the motivation behind the famous hashtag #ILookLikeAnEngineer. As a part of our mission, we hope to grow a large enough community of African women engineers, to run annual conferences and forums and collaborate with all the other amazing groups already working to increase the number of women participating in this field.
Martha Wakoli is an electrical engineer, founder and curator of this blog and the owner of the crazy idea behind Queengineers.