Private security boss exits authority after six years of service

The Director General of Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) Fazul Mahammed has finally bowed out after six years at the helm of the authority.

Fazul (pictured), loved and hated in equal measure, and at some point, seen as biting more than he could chew, brought a number of changes in the sector including the contentious Sh30,000 minimum salary wage for guards.

To professionalise the industry, the Fazul-led PSRA came up with a raft of measures including vetting of guards, introduction of Guard Force Numbers (GFN), and introduction of standardized training and training colleges among others.

Guards dignity

The sector which currently employs over one million people and now worth more than Sh100 billion annually, is regarded as a critical driver for Kenya’s economy in terms of job creation and contribution to our GDP growth. “From the very outset, I had an uphill task of building an institution and establishing a regulated sector from ground zero - a task that required vision, dedication, courage and unwavering commitment,” Fazul said.

Fazul has maintained that the dignity of the guards and adherence to minimum wage “is no longer negotiable.”

This stance rubbed many institutions and other powerful individuals the wrong way.

Almost the same time he was pushing for the Sh30, 000 minimum pay, Fazul not only ordered all security firms to immediately cease deductions and remittances to Francis Atwoli-led COTU but also launched a forensic investigation into the guards’ trade union fees deductions and remittances made to COTU-Kenya in the last three years.

Fazul said the audit was prompted by reports that the billions of shillings could not be adequately accounted for.

Atwoli however dismissed the directive saying: “It must be remembered that COTU (K) is a free and Independent Trade Union that is neither regulated by PSRA nor any other Government Agency.”

At the PSRA head, Fazul was tasked with professionalizing the sector to enable the government fully integrate the private security industry into the national security infrastructure.

“Our mission has been to elevate the private security industry, ensuring that it stands on a solid foundation of professionalism, improved working conditions, better wages, opportunity for growth,” he said.