A person who desires to be licensed as an electrician in Kenya shall make an application to The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) formerly known as The energy regulatory commission (ERC). This application may be made On-line at EPRA website or in person at the energy EPRA offices.
Eligibility
- Minimum
Technical qualification for Class A-1; BSC in Electrical Engineering
and Registered as Electrical Engineer by ERB
- Minimum
Technical qualification for Class A-2; Electrical Wireman Grade II
and other equivalent certificate
- Minimum
Technical qualification for Class B; Higher National Diploma in
Electrical Engineering and Registered as Technician Engineer by ERB
- Minimum
Technical qualification for Class C-1; Higher National Diploma, BSC
in Electrical Engineering and other equivalent Certificates
- Minimum
Technical qualification for Class C-2; Electrical Wiremen Grade I,
Grade II or Grade III, Final Craft Certificate, Diploma in Electrical
Engineering
Required
Documents
- Academic
and technical certificates,
- National
ID/Passport
- Bank
payment slip
- Electrical
installation license .
- Duly
filled Application for Electrical Installation
License (Form 1)
- and other Equivalent Certificate
Apply On-line
- Open
EPRAWebsite
- Click
on the tab “online services”
- Click
“access our online portal”
- For
new users click on the “register” tab. For existing users login using your
user name and password
- Click
“apply for a new license”
- For
electricians select “individual” for contractors select
“business/company”
- Select
the class of license you wish to apply for.
- Select
the tab that corresponds to your academic qualifications
- Enter
your personal details and press save. Ensure that you enter your correct
email address. Create a unique username and password.
- Open
your email, you will find a message from ERC. Open our portal through the
link given in your inbox and fill in the rest of the details.
- Fill
in your work experience, academic qualifications, knowledge of rules, and
other EPRA licences that you may be having.
- Choose
“Nairobi” as the examination centre or an appropriate centre near by you.
- Enter
the details of your referees and press enter
- Upload
your scanned documents in their respective places and press next
- Enter
the transaction number indicated in the payment slip. The payment date is
the date you deposited money to the bank.
- Submit
your application and print the application notification.
- The
licence is usually ready after a period of 30 days. Notification for
collection will be made through email and text message. One is required to
collect the licence in-person from the EPRA offices. You are required to
carry a proof of identity during collection.
Apply In-Person :
- The
applicant should visit the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority
offices to make the application. The applicant will be given an
application for Electrical Installation License
(Form 1) to fill and submit. The form may also be downloaded online and
filled before visiting the offices for submission.
- Fill
in your personal details, which electrical license class you wish to apply
, work experience, academic · Take the applicant form to two independent
referees who must have knowledge of the applicant ability very well,
preferably in the trade. The refreezes are to sign against their names on
the application form.
- The
license is usually ready after a period of 30 days. Notification for
collection will be made through text message. One is required to collect
the license in-person from the EPRA offices. You are required to carry a
proof of identity during collection.qualifications, knowledge of rules and
other EPRA licenses that you may be having
· Take the applicant form to two independent referees
who must have knowledge of the applicant ability very well, preferably in the
trade. The refreezes are to sign against their names on the application form.
· Attach copies of academics and technical
certificates, copy of national ID/Passport, and bank payment slip to the duly
filled application form1 and submit to the EPRA offices for processing.
· The license is usually ready after a period of 30
days. Notification for collection will be made through text message. One is
required to collect the license in-person from the EPRA offices. You are
required to carry a proof of identity during collection.
The validity of the certificate is three
years from date of issue.
How to become an electrician in Kenya
Who is an electrician?
An electrician is an artisan or a worker skilled in electrical installation or closely related field. Electrical installation is an electrical wiring process that deals with installation and repair of electricity systems and associated devices such as; electrical cables, sockets, switches, lighting and distribution boards among others.Electricians installs, repairs inspects and maintains
electrical installations among other tasks associated with electrical works.
These artisans installs and repairs electrical systems in all types of
buildings such as; commercial, residential, industrial, agricultural,
hospitals, and educational among others.
Other closely related title(s)
- Electrical
artisan
- Electrical
installer
- Wireman
- Electrical
& electronics repairman
- Service
and repair technicians
What is the work environment?
Electricians work both indoors and outdoors in homes, factories, businesses and construction sites among other environments.Some important skills to have
To work effectively, electricians need to have some important skills and
qualities such as;
- Color
vision
- Communication
skills
- Physical
strength/ stamina
- Problem
solving skills
- Interpersonal
skills
- Troubleshooting
skills
- Among
others
What are some career opportunities?
Electricians can find work in various places such as; construction companies, building maintenance contractors, electrical contractors/wiring installation contractors, manufacturing companies, building construction hardware’s, businesses and government departments among other areas.Electricians can also use their creativity and start their own
gainful ventures (self-employment).
Becoming an electrician
Admission requirements
To pursue a career as an electrician right from high school, a Kenya
Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), mean grade E is required.
Training & Study options
With a KCSE mean grade E, you can proceed to a Technical Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) college and enroll for an appropriate artisan
course. Artisan courses are also offered within Vocational Training Centers
(VTCs) within your region.
So what course(s) can you pursue in TVET colleges?
- Artisan
in electrical installation
- Artisan
in electrical engineering
- Artisan
in electrical and electronics
- Artisan
in electrical and electronics technology
- Trade
test in electrical wireman
- NVCET
in electrical installation
- NVCET
in electrical and electronics technology
- Or
other similar/ related courses
Education Progression
After a successful completion of an artisan course, you can advance your
education upward (in a relevant field) up to university
level if that’s your goal. How is this possible?
- Get
an artisan certificate
- Advance
to craft certificate, (in a relevant field)
- Advance
to diploma certificate, (in a relevant field)
- Advance
to degree certificate, (in a relevant field)
How to Join TVET College.
There are two ways you can follow to join training institution(s) in pursuit of your career of choice. The majority way is applying through the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (Kuccps). This is a state owned agency that admits/ places government sponsored students to TVET colleges and universities. One of the advantages of applying through Kuccps is that, upon successful placement, you will pay subsidized fee as a government sponsored student.To be placed through Kuccps you must have attained a certain
pass mark required for various education levelssuch as degrees, diplomas,
certificates and artisan courses. For an artisan course, you need a KCSE mean
grade E. For more details on placement criteria, visit Kuccps website. The
second approach is applying directly to training institution of your choice.
Students who opt to apply this way do not get government fee subsidy and are
therefore self-sponsored.
How to fund your post-secondary education.
If you are a needy student, upon application, you can get education loan
from Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), a state owned institution that gives
education loans to students joining technical colleges and universities. You
can also access education bursaries from your local Member of Parliament (MP)
or the County Government among other sources.
Always remember this!
Information provided on this website is for career awareness only, and not
for any other purpose.
We know career life will take a significant part of your life journey, and your career choice will greatly influence how that journey unfolds. Therefore, before you make any career choice, before you commit yourself to any career or study option, be sure of what you are doing. It is advisable to seek professional advice from career advisors to navigate this very important process.