This archive report was first published on 7 January 2020.
On January 7, 2020, the parliamentary Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei, rejected proposed regulations by the Interior ministry meant to operationalise the Private Security Regulation Act 2016.
The committee's decision was based on a recommendation by the Security Industry Associations that complying with the minimum wage would be unsustainable for private security service providers, with a client being charged a minimum wage of Sh51,000 less administrative costs and other related charges.
However, economist Tony Watima argues that the committee failed to interrogate this claim and instead chose to throw out the regulations without taking into account the dire situation regarding the welfare of security guards.
Security guards in Kenya work long hours, often for low pay, and are not insured by their employers, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. Watima notes that the industry has a structural problem, with a pool of workers of around 500,000, close to the total number of workers in the whole public sector.
He also highlights the issue of low income, which disincentivises productivity and prevents security guards from improving their standards of living and quality of life through job employment.
Watima concludes that the committee's decision was a failure to protect the welfare of security guards and that urgent redress is needed to address the issue of slavery-like conditions in the industry.
