Only licensed guards to operate from January

What you need to know:

  • The new regulations state that every employer shall ensure that every person employed as a private security provider has a valid certificate of security training issued by the authority.
  • The guards must undergo an annual mandatory security training at an institution licensed by the authority and undergoes an annual mandatory security training assessment.

Kenyans will be required to only employ trained, certified and licensed private security guards beginning January, according to the newly introduced Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) regulations that come into effect next year.

This means that the traditional shuka-clad Maasai watchmen in residential estates will not be allowed to man the gates unless they are trained and licensed by the PSRA and are paid according to laid down regulations.

COMPLIANCE

Consequently, Private Security industry Association (PSIA) members have requested the government to extend the compliance of the introduction of the new regulations by three years to allow them adjust to the new rules.

Clause (19) of the private Security (General) regulations 2019 requires all the half a million private security employees to undergo a mandatory training.

PSIA, a consortium of over 100 private security firms in the country, says that four months left to the end of the year is too short a time to train its half a million staff members in the extensive curriculum with the limited training institutions.

According to the PSIA chairman Cosmas Mutava, "Sub-regulations 19(4) requires every director, partner, trustee, administrator, management staff and employee of a private security provider to undergo such training within six months after gazettement of the Regulations.

ASSESSMENT

The six months are to lapse in December 2019, given that the regulations were gazetted in July. Two months have already lapsed and security firms have only four months remaining to comply. We find it difficult to rain 500,000 guards within six months noting that the curriculum is quite extensive and that there are very few institutions to conduct the training."

The new regulations state that every employer shall ensure that every person employed as a private security provider has a valid certificate of security training issued by the authority, undergoes an annual mandatory security training at an institution licensed by the authority and undergoes an annual mandatory security training assessment.

In the new regulations, security companies offering guarding services will pay Sh50,000 fees, those engaged in cash and valuables in transit will pay Sh200,000 to the regulator while those involved in designing, manufacturing, maintaining, repairing distribution or installation of security systems will be charged Sh50,000.

Security firms offering investigation services, consultancy services, those with animals sections and mobile patrol and response services will pay Sh 50,000 fee to the regulator to be allowed to operate.

Institutions with training departments, offering close protection, aviation and marine security will be charged Sh100,000 fee by the regulator while those offering armed escort services will be charged Sh200,000.