Is the Kenyan public ready for private security officers to be armed? Are private security officers able to control that amount of power? Should you care about private security officers at all even if you can’t afford them? Kenya’s private security industry has been quickly growing for the last 50 years and, as the independent industry grows, the question of due process, lawfulness and wages of security employees are all in question.
“We want to incorporate the role of the private security industry into the national security apparatus. We are no longer going to be calling these people watchmen, they will be private security officers recognized by the law, and they will be part and parcel of the security infrastructure in the country.” (Fazul Mahamed, Private Security Regulatory Authority CEO February 25th 2020).
History
Since the 1970s, Kenya has been introduced to more than 2,000 private security companies. The country’s growing economy caused negative attention as crimes in the nation also rose, leading to the emergence of the private security industry. According to a 2017 report titled Eyes, Ears, and Wheels Policing Partnerships in Nairobi, Kenya, the country is home to more than 400,000 security officers and 3,000 security companies. That is four times the size of the country’s police force, which currently stands at 101,288 (Police Figure).
Some of the leading private security companies in the country are KK Security, Bob Morgan, G4S, Riley Services and Radar.
The Kenyan National Police Service Crime Report notes that there were 65,820 reported crimes in 2018, compared to 59,029 in 2017, marking a 12% increase. (Figures for 2019 have yet to be published). The country has also had a long history of terrorist attacks, the recent one being the 2019 attack on the DusitD2 hotel complex at 14 Riverside that resulted in 21 deaths.
After the attack, the Kenyan public witnessed a wave of security changes. Pressure was put on the government and private security companies.
We spoke to a private security company agreed to give us information on their policies and techniques, Securex.
Securex
Securex, the first private security company to be established in Kenya, has a reputation as one out of the many that are leading in safeguarding Kenya’s public. The company employs 5,000 private security guards and has hired more than 4,000 employees. It safeguards a wide range of sectors, such as the industrial, diplomatic, financial and residential.
As Kenya remains a target of attacks by insurgents, concerns over the training of private security guards have been raised.
Securex has incorporated a counter-terrorism strategy into its training curriculum as a measure to help in the war against terrorism.
Moreover, since bombing has been a common method of attack by terrorists, explosive detection equipment and dog handlers are used for screening measures.
Securex, in its marketing materials, notes that it conducts refresher training courses for all of their staff. “We keep our teams up to date with current and emerging trends in crime and terrorism, ensuring we do not get caught off-guard.”
Furthermore, Securex has in the past worked with Kenya’s police force as they have had armed police escorts since they have yet to transition into arming their guards.
Despite Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s gazettement of new regulations allowing private security personnel to carry weapons and have the power to arrest suspects, Securex stands on the belief that the security industry is not yet ready for the arming of guards.
“A lot needs to be done with regards to vetting, registering and licensing of security firms and their guards, accrediting of training institutions and streamlining of the training curriculums before we can substantively look at arming of guards.”
However, officials from Kenya’s National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU) disagree with Securex and believe that the arming of all guards is the right direction for protecting Kenya’s public.
“You cannot stop an armed robber with a rungu (wooden throwing club). Before these regulations, guards were exposed to more danger than soldiers serving in Somalia,” Secretary-General Isaac Andabwa said..
Workers union?
The KNPSWU was founded in 1960 as the Night Watchmen Union with the simple aim to protect the rights of private security guards in Kenya. According to their site , the union has nearly 350,000 members currently. For the fight for guard rights, some progress has been made in the union since it has lobbied for minimum wage pay and intervened in disputes against the employee and employers. Much of the disputes have been over poor conditions, late payments or unruly suspensions/ terminations.
However, progress seems to be slow according to over a dozen security employees that we interviewed and a look inside the 10,000 members of the workers union Facebook group sheds light on the truth of the progress. The guards that were interviewed worked at various private security companies that unsurprisingly have had a long history of worker protests.
The Security Guards
Some of these companies were G4S, Hatari Security Limited, Solvit Security Solutions Ltd and Riley Falcon. A guard that has worked at G4S for 10 years, revealed the following: “Companies use dubious clauses in the labour laws to exploit the workers… they are using outdated clauses, as a member of the guard’s union and they are part of the problem, they signed a collective bargaining agreement which we were not involved as workers.”
When the question of whether or not the workers’ union does enough for the security guards is broached, a guard that works in the coastal town of Kilifi commented the following: “Our shop stewards are just guys who don’t even understand their roles. Since we elected them, I haven’t even seen any progress for the well-being of guards.”
Moreover, posts by multiple security guards that are either looking for employment or are requesting help from their elected representatives seem to be going unnoticed as the discussion boards fill with more and more disputes. Several attempts were made to reach out to Secretary-General Isaac Andabwa along with Private Security CEO Fazul Mahamed. However, no comments were given by them or the administrators of the workers’ union Facebook group.
As the cost of living in Kenya rises, almost half a million of the citizen population, working in the country’s private security sector, are underpaid. This, therefore, begs the question, to what extent do those in power profit off of those that are protecting the country’s resources? When will the government recognize the importance of the men and women that put themselves in danger for the good of the nation? These are all questions raised by the 400,000 in uniform on the streets of Kenya each and every day.
NO COMMENT NOW