Nairobi, June 21 -- A court has upheld Kenya National Highways Authority's (KeNHA) requirement that applicants for road engineer jobs be registered with the Engineers Board of Kenya, dealing a setback to engineering technologists seeking access to the positions.

The Employment and Labour Relations Court dismissed a petition filed by the Institution of Engineering Technology of Kenya (IET-K), ending a legal challenge that had frozen the recruitment of 27 Engineer (Roads) positions advertised by KeNHA in December last year.

The ruling comes amid a growing dispute over professional boundaries in the engineering sector, where engineering technologists have increasingly challenged hiring criteria they say exclude qualified graduates from pub...