State cancels licenses of nine security firms for non-compliance

The Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) has cancelled the operating licenses of nine private security firms over non-compliance with industry regulations.

They are Victory Protective Services Africa Limited, Victory Consultants Limited, Bedrock Security Services Limited, Bedrock Security Alarms Systems and Product Limited were affected bt the move.

Others are Senaca East Africa Limited, Hipora Security Solutions Limited, Salama Fikira International (Kenya) Limited, Marco Security Limited and Superb Marketing Solutions Limited.

In a statement published on Monday, PSRA Director General Fazul Mahamed said the firms breached the provisions of the Private Security Regulation Act number 13 of 2016 and failed to comply with the regulations.

He further faulted the firms for violating the terms and conditions attached to their certificates of registration as corporate private security service providers and said they had contravened section 33 of the Act by having employed or engaged private guards who are not in possession of Guard Force numbers as proof of registration by the authority in accordance with the provision of the act.

"Section 69 of the Private Security Regulation Act no. 13 of 2016 thus states that a person who employs or otherwise engages the services of any unlicensed private security firm commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine or imprisonment in the case of a natural person and two million shillings in the case of a corporate," the statement said.

Fazul added that the notice was to warn firms against hiring and use of private security services from firms that do not meet the set regulations.

"The authority shall be conducting periodic reviews of the compliance status of private security companies with the provisions of the Act, consequently, the list of registered private security service providers and those whose registration certificates have been cancelled shall be regularly updated," he added.

The move comes days after stakeholders in the industry obtained a court order preventing the authority from instituting any actions against those that fail to implement the new directives including adjusting the guards' pay upwards.

On Friday, Justice Mathews Nduma Nderi issued a temporary order, blocking the implementation of Legal Notice No. PSRA/005/2023, which was published by the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) on November 21, 2023.

"A conservatory order be and is hereby issued suspending the enforcement and or implementation of legal Notice No. PSRA/005/2023 pending the hearing and determination of this application," said Justice Nderi.

In the notice, PSRA had warned private security firms that failure to commit themselves to paying the new salaries would result in legal consequences including fines, penalties, and potential cancellation of their operating licenses.

"Any Private Security Company that fails to submit a duly signed copy of the Legal Commitment within the next seven days shall be subjected to a statutory review of its registration and licensing status per section 32 of the Act," the authority said.

In response to the directive, stakeholders in the industry issued a joint statement saying the pronouncements, if not checked, would plunge the private security industry in Kenya into untold chaos and disorder.