On May 18, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta approved the Private Security Regulation Bill, an act which is heralding in a new dawn for the private security industry in the country. The Bill, now an Act of Parliament, will see the formation of the Private Security Regulatory Authority, under the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government.
The chief mandate will be to regulate and oversee operations of private security firms in Kenya. The industry has previously relied heavily on self-regulation through associations such as the Kenya Security Industry Association; but more than 2,500 firms largely operate without oversight. The Authority will be tasked with vetting and registering private security providers and their employees, as well as setting standards and accrediting training facilities that provide instructional courses for private security officers. I am convinced that the new law will have a significant positive contribution to Kenya’s stability and to the war on terror.
The private security industry is one of the more lucrative sectors of Kenya’s economy. Lack of oversight for so many years has created an influx of ill-equipped firms that do not have the capacity to effectively provide security. The implementation of this Act will force these firms to bolster their service or have their licenses revoked. This will greatly improve the quality of service we provide our clients and the public, and allow us to detect terror threats faster, bolstering Kenya’s counter-terrorism efforts.
In addition, the standards that will be implemented by this Act will allow the industry to move toward maturity in terms of training, vetting, and registering guards. A number of Kenyan private security firms have already been developing curriculums and training guards, but the Authority is expected to streamline the curriculums and accredit institutions, as well as their instructors.
Standardized training is necessary if the country wants to start arming guards. Currently, we must enlist armed reinforcement from the police, instead of arming our own guards. There are at least two armed police officers manning every bank branch in the country and at least two armed police officers for each trip made by a cash-in-transit vehicle. Kenya’s security would be better served if these police officers were able to do their jobs on the streets, rather than having to guard property, a responsibility for the private security industry.
According to this Act, the Inspector-General of Police and the Cabinet Secretary will be authorized to ask for support from private security providers in the maintenance of law and order. I believe this will reduce Kenya’s crime rate, as the police will be able to have more boots on the ground should they need assistance. It is a good opportunity for industry to play a role in securing the country on a larger scale.
I also look forward to the establishment of a platform in which we can improve intelligence-sharing between various players in the sector. The composition of the board of the Private Security Regulatory Authority will facilitate this. Of the ten members, five will be representatives from service providers and resident associations, while the other five will be representatives from the government’s executive branch. This means all invested parties will have a healthy representation on the board, which will yield greater transparency in the operations of the Authority. It will also provide an alternative means of legal redress for aggrieved parties for issues dealing with the private security industry.
I am particularly eager to see the contribution that resident associations will be able to make to the board’s activities, because members of the public have long been valuable sources of information on crime and terrorism. Residents have, in the past, provided credible intelligence that led to the apprehension of suspected militants in the northeastern parts of Kenya and the coast. Private security firms, such as mine, have enjoyed fruitful working relationships with various resident associations across the country. We will now get to see this play out on a national scale. I anticipate that the inclusion of resident associations will further legitimize and empower these organizations, giving them a voice and encouraging their participation in keeping our country safe.
We still have work to do to streamline the sector, but this law gives us a good place to start. After implementation, we will see just how effective private security can be in securing a nation.
