Private security guards fault regulator over pay, working conditions

KNPSWU Organising Secretary Joash Soita (left) and Mombasa Security Industry Association chairman James Matheka during training for the private security guards in Tudor, Mombasa, on May 20, 2021. [File, Standard]

A section of security guards now want the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) disbanded, terming it a toothless bulldog allegedly being used to push political interests at the expense of their welfare.

Incensed by the 12 per cent wage increment announced by President William Ruto during Labour Day celebrations at Chavakali High School in Vihiga County, the guards maintain that the pay rise s to nothing as long as PSRA continues to shield security firms from adhering to laws and regulations aimed at protecting them.

Faulting the Authority abandoning them at the hour of need, representatives of Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU) and Protective Guards Association of Kenya (PROGAK), echoed that PSRA has failed to focus on challenges facing the sector.

Blaming PSRA of failing to enforce the Sh30,000 minimum wage it gazetted in November 2024, KNPSWU Organising Secretary Joash Soita accused the Authority of acting as a shield for employers, who time and again, have failed to annual wage increments. 

“How can the government, and especially the President, expect security officers to celebrate Labour Day and wage increases when the reality on the ground is so different? The promises of wage increases and better working conditions ring hollow when the very same employers who are meant to comply with these regulations are allowed to break the law without consequence,” noted Soita.

According to the official, the minimum wage set by PSRA was a reasonable and necessary step to safeguard workers' livelihoods with pay being Sh18,994, house allowance of Sh2,849.11 and overtime allowance of Sh8,156.81 totaling to Sh30,000.

The statutory deductions were National Social Security Fund (NSSF) of Sh1080, Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) of Sh825, Pay As You Earn Sh1229.75, and affordable house levy Sh450.

In 2022, the Ministry of Labour had, however set the minimum wage for private night guards at Sh16,959 in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

The PSRA had also commenced nationwide registration, licensing, and issuance of Guard Force Numbers (GFN) to private security officers.

Some of these gains according to the guards, have been eroded after PSRA was turned into a conduit of siphoning public funds that are used to fund political agendas.

“PSRA has not just failed but lost its core mandate of serving the interests of more than one million guards who are struggling and wallowing in poverty. Millions allocated to the Authority are diverted to fund politics,” said a stakeholder who requested anonymity.

Moses Otieno, PROGAK’s chairperson, blamed the situation to skewed representation of the Authority’s Board, which in his view, is dominated by persons that do not understand the industry.

“The Authority has failed to pay attention to what is ailing the private security sector where guards are exposed to poor working conditions and are poorly paid. Our members have been neglected has all doors for redress have been shut, and they have nowhere to run to,” said Otieno.