Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Associations of private security companies want Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to intervene in a standoff between them and Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) Director General Fazul Mahamed (pictured).

The call comes after they rejected the controversial directive to increase salaries to a minimum of Sh30,000 .

In a joint press statement, the Kenya Security Industry Association (KSIA) and Protective and Safety Association of Kenya (PROSAK) said the order was illegal.

According to the lobbies, the directive should be gazetted by Labour Cabinet Secretary Florence Bore before it is enforced.

“Only the Cabinet Secretary for Labour and Social Protection is empowered by law to publish wage orders setting out minimum terms of conditions of employment and only through the Kenya Gazette,” the lobbies said.

Currently, the minimum pay for daytime security guards is about Sh15,201.65 and Sh16,959 for night-time guards.

Last Friday, Bore disowned the directive arguing that her ministry cannot validate the pay raise directive issued by PRSA pending the hearing and determination of a case currently in the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi.

She said the applicable minimum wage remains operational.

Operating licenses of nine security companies have been cancelled for violation of various regulations.
The PSRA yesterday gazzeted the names of the companies.

“Take notice: the Authority shall be conducting periodic reviews of the compliance status of Private Security Companies with the provisions of the Act, consequently, the lists of registered private security service providers and those whose registration certificates have been canceled shall be regularly updated,” he said in the notice.

This comes as a seven day notice to the firms to comply with a directive to increase the guards salary to Sh30,000 lapsed yesterday.