Move to remove private guards in public offices criticised

Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU) has vowed to move to court to stop the National Assembly from passing a motion to replace private guards  in public offices with National Youth Services (NYS). 

Speaking in Kakamega town, KNPSW secretary general Isaac Andabwa said the move is against the law and urged the government to look for alternative ways of creating jobs for youths. 

"If those people who have been given the mandate to drive reforms in the private sector are unable or have run out of ideas, you better pack and leave. We fought so hard to bring reforms in private security services, and we are disappointed that even after fighting hard in forming laws to protect both employers and employees, nothing tangible has been brought to the table. "Those who are occupying public offices and are not bringing change in terms of reforms, the honorable thing to do is to leave those offices," said Andabwa.

He added, "We cannot accept that private guards must undergo mandatory training through National Youth Service, and there is no day or way NYS and private security can work together because one side is from the private sector and another is a government entity. We have a private security act in place that spells out clearly how the private security sector is to complement the national security services, and NYS has a different mandate. I am urging our President William Ruto, the Ministry of Labour, and lawmakers to take their time and revisit the formation of the private security sector in the country and NYS, and next week we will be moving to court to stop those kinds of businesses taking place in the parliament and in disregard to the stakeholders of this sector."

The association argued that the move has been initiated without their opinion and they have not been consulted, which is in itself against the law.

"I sound a warning to those who want to do away with the private security for their own personal interest and against the law and regulation and that we shall not accept it. We shall be moving to court to challenge the government that it cannot implement any law without consulting the stakeholders who are the private guards. The issue of security guards is not only a government affair; the government must involve all stakeholders and those consuming the services of private security," said Andabwa.

He added, "We want to tell the government through the Ministry of Interior to look for an alternative way of creating job opportunities for our youths, and it should distinguish the roles of private security services, which is an investment, and the National Youth Service in Kenya."

The motion championed by Kilifi Woman Representative Gertrude Mbeyu aims to create structured jobs for youth while reducing government spending on private security firms.

“There is a need to have a balanced approach that promotes youth employment through structured engagement of NYS graduates while preserving opportunities for private security firms to continue to operate and partner with government institutions,” the motion states.

If passed, the government will create a formula to determine how security responsibilities are shared between NYS graduates and private companies.

The motion also proposes clear standards for recruitment, deployment, and terms of service to ensure graduates are properly integrated into government institutions.

If passed, then the government departments and agencies would, under the plan, be required to give priority to NYS graduates when hiring for security duties.

Mbeyu points out that relying heavily on private firms to supplement uniformed officers leads to high expenses for the public purse.

According to the Ministry of Interior, Kenya has over 2,000 registered private security firms employing more than 1.3 million people.