As the year draws to a close, Kenya's nearly 2000 private security firms and guards are racing against time to comply with a new security law.
According to the Kenya National Private Security Workers' Union, more than 500 registered guards will be vetted by the end of the year to obtain the necessary certification to operate.
The union has established offices in Nairobi to screen all guards, and those that fail to comply with the new Private Security (General) Regulations 2019 risk deregistration.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i gazetted the regulations on July 5, 2019, and from January 2020, no guard will be allowed to work without a certificate of good conduct, which will only be issued after vetting has been done.
Security firms will also be required to meet set standards, including providing a conducive working environment for employees and paying the minimum wage.
Some guards will also be trained to acquire special roles in January, currently undertaken by police, and will be allowed to operate rapid response vehicles.
The new law aims to professionalise the security sector and raise standards of living for guards, providing a range of salaries to be paid.
In Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu, for example, a private security officer is expected to earn a minimum wage of Sh27,993 for a night guard and Sh25,641 for a day guard.
