A government agency has summoned over 30,000 private security guards across the country to assemble at Uhuru Park on Saturday, March 30 for mass registration and issuance of Guard Force Numbers (GFNs).
The Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) said the exercise will be presided over by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo among other officials and is aimed at boosting the morale of the group.
The authority said private security personnel ought to be vetted and registered as stipulated by law, noting that the exercise will also be rolled out to other parts of the country.
“The Authority has organized a mass registration forum for all private security officers, bouncers, stewards, and close protection officers, across the country.”
“The purpose of this forum is to officially roll out the Mass Registration of Guard Force Numbers for over 30,000 private security officers following the ongoing mandatory nationwide security vetting, training, and licensing of all private security officers,” PSRA boss Fazul Mahamed said.
“Section 21 and 28 of the Private Security Regulation Act No. 13 of 2016 require that no person shall engage in the provision of private security services or offer private security services in Kenya unless that person has been security vetted and registered by the Private Security Regulatory Authority in accordance with the Act.”
This came as Mahamed said the authority intends to soon publish a legal notice containing a list of security companies that have failed, declined, or otherwise neglected to submit their legal commitments to pay Private Security Guards the Government minimum wage of Sh30,000 as per Legal Notice No. PSRA/005/2023.
“As of 5th March 2024, a significant number of private security companies have already submitted their legal commitment to pay the Government-set Sh30,000/= minimum wage for private security officers (security guards),” he said in a statement.
He said they have noted with concern that some security companies are submitting false or doctored pay slips.
He said the law says a person who submits false information or makes a false declaration commits an offense and shall be liable to both such fine and imprisonment.
“For those companies who have not submitted their legal commitments, you must urgently do so to avoid the consequences of noncompliance, including but not limited to, a statutory review of your registration and licensing status in accordance with Section 32 of the Act.”
These are part of reforms being rolled out in the sector to make it more vibrant and stable.
Mahamed later inspected Uhuru Park where the event will be hosted.
“Uhuru park shall live to its testament as the birthplace of Uhuru “Freedom” for the 1.3 million Security Guards in Kenya.
The Park, where Independent Kenya’s freedom was once proclaimed, shall now witness the birth of a new era – one where security guards stand side by side irrespective of their companies of employment, where their welfare shall be addressed, professionalism infused, voices amplify, and where their impact reverberates across the nation,” he said.
