Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa Confirmed for Upcoming Annual Engineers Summit

The Association of Consulting Engineers of Kenya (ACEK) has confirmed that the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation, Eric Mugaa, will headline its upcoming annual convention in Naivasha.

Organisers announced that the three-day convention, which is the fifth edition of the annual assembly, will take place at Sawela Lodge from August 12 to August 14, 2026.

ives at a critical juncture for Kenya, as the country balances aggressive infrastructure expansion with international climate commitments.

This year, the convention operates under the central theme of engineering transformation, with a distinct focus on scaling green growth, smart infrastructure, and resilient futures.

According to the event program, sessions will specifically address how innovation, sustainability, and finance converge to build Kenya, which represents a growing effort to attract private capital to public works.

Cabinet Secretary Mugaa, an engineer by profession, takes center stage at a time when his ministry faces mounting pressure to deliver sustainable water piping and urban sewerage networks across the country.

His participation underscores the state's reliance on private consulting firms to design and supervise large-scale utility projects, which are increasingly funded through public-private partnerships.

Engineering professionals who attend the three-day deliberations will earn 20 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK), which is the statutory regulatory body.

These units are mandatory for engineers who seek to maintain their practicing licenses, ensuring the summit draws a significant turnout of senior consultants and technical directors from across East Africa.

The regional nature of the event is reflected in the tiered registration structure released by the secretariat, which accommodates both local and international engineering stakeholders.

Delegates who register before the early bird deadline on July 19, 2026, will access lower rates, with ACEK members paying 40,000 Kenyan Shillings and regional delegates paying 45,000 Kenyan Shillings.

International delegates face an early registration fee of 400 US Dollars, while virtual attendance is available at 10,000 Kenyan Shillings for those unable to travel to Naivasha.

Late registration fees take effect on July 20, 2026, raising costs to 45,000 Kenyan Shillings for members, 50,000 Kenyan Shillings for regional visitors, and 450 US Dollars for international participants.

The registration fee adjustments represent standard industry practice to ensure early fiscal commitments for venue logistics, which helps the secretariat secure international speakers and technical panelists.

Delegates are paying via mobile money channels, specifically an M-Pesa till number provided by the association, which reflects the standard commercial practice for local corporate events.

The conference discussions are expected to influence how future public projects are designed, particularly regarding flood mitigation, drought resilience, and green building certifications in urban areas.

With the state tightening its development budget, the convergence of engineering design and infrastructure finance will dominate the corridors of the Naivasha meeting.

Engineers will look to Cabinet Secretary Mugaa for policy directives on how the government plans to derisk green projects, which remain highly capital-intensve during the initial design phases.