State to publish names of security firms not complying with salary requirements

The government in its fresh efforts to improve salaries of private security officers has announced its intention to publish names of firms not willing to comply with its new directive for pay increments.

In the new directive, the private security officers will receive a monthly salary of Sh30,000.

Fazul Mahamed, the Director-General for the Private Security Regulation Authority, clarified on March 5 that in addition to publicizing their names, these firms will undergo a statutory review of their registration and license status.

"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 set a minimum wage of Sh30,000"

"Any company that fails to submit a duly signed legal commitment which forms part of the terms and conditions attached to its certificate of registration, shall be subjected to a regulatory audit review," Mahamed stated.

According to the authority, this will help the firms abide by the law and also help it in gatekeeping and ensuring all private security officers get the right amount of wages.

"As of March 5, 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," Mahamed said.

In November last year, a gazette notice published by the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA), directed security firms to pay their guards a minimum of Sh30,000 in gross pay per month.

Under this directive, guards working in the Nairobi metropolitan areas were eligible for a salary of Sh30,000, while those outside the metropolitan areas were to receive Sh27,000 as the body worked towards improving their terms of service.

However, currently, the minimum wage for daytime security guards is approximately Sh15,201.65, and Sh16,959 for those on night-time duty.

This notice sparked an uproar among private security lobby groups, who vowed not to comply and took the matter to court, awaiting a ruling.

Following the disparity, an Eldoret high court issued a ruling in favour of the guards on January 17, directing the firms to adhere to the directive.

Subsequently, several companies have had their licenses revoked as the government works towards streamlining the policy.