Private security guards have appealed to President William Ruto to champion improved pay, stronger legal protections and greater recognition for their contribution to Kenya\u2019s security.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a meeting with President Ruto at State House, Nairobi, Isaac Andabwa, General Secretary of the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), stated that despite their crucial role in protecting lives and property, private security guards continue to endure low wages, poor working conditions and widespread disrespect.<\/p>\n
Andabwa said guards remain among the country\u2019s most neglected workers, calling for the full implementation of existing labour laws, particularly the minimum wage structure.<\/p>\n
\u201cSisi tumedharauliwa sana, tumechukuliwa kama second-hand citizens. Sisi hakuna yule ambaye anaongea na sisi kwa heshima. Wanasema hawa watchman.\u201d (We have been looked down upon and treated like second-hand citizens. There is no one who speaks to us with respect),\u201d<\/em>Andabwa said.<\/p>\n He challenged the continued use of the term \u201cwatchman,\u201d arguing that it is a colonial-era label that no longer reflects the professionalism of the sector.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not watchmen. The name \u2018watchman\u2019 belonged to the colonial era. Kenya is free, and we cannot continue using that name 63 years after colonialism ended,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n Andabwa accused some employers of exploiting workers through inadequate wages and non-compliance with labour regulations. He noted that despite existing wage orders, some security guards still earn as little as Ksh 9,000 a month, urging authorities to enforce compliance with the minimum wage.<\/p>\n He specifically called for the Ministries of Labour and Interior, in conjunction with employers and workers\u2019 representatives, to harmonise laws governing the sector and develop a practical framework that protects both employers and employees.<\/p>\n According to Andabwa, security guards should be recognised as an integral part of Kenya\u2019s security architecture, working alongside state security agencies to protect public and private institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe complement national security agencies. We are on the frontline and should work closely with the Ministry of Interior because some of our assignments are highly sensitive,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n He highlighted the significant risks faced by many guards who are expected to protect banks and other high-value installations while often armed only with batons, exposing them to significant risks and leaving them vulnerable to arrest whenever security incidents occur.<\/p>\n \u201cKuna assignment ambazo ni very sensitive. Bawabu anachunga pesa na rungu ilikuwa ya mkoloni. Wanalinda pesa, na mabenki na rungu. Pesa ikija kuibiwa kwa bank, tena bawabu anashikwa, anawekwa ndani,\u201d he charged<\/p>\n Andabwa also described harsh working conditions, noting that many guards work long shifts without adequate breaks and risk disciplinary action even for briefly leaving their duty stations to use the washroom.<\/p>\n \u201cBawabu kazi yake ni ngumu. Anafanya shift ya masaa kumi na mbili. Hata hawezi acha assignment kwenda kujisaidia. Akienda kujisaidia, anaandikiwa incident report,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Appealing directly to President Ruto, Andabwa urged the government to extend its economic empowerment initiatives to private security guards through sector-specific programmes, including the establishment of a SACCO to improve their financial well-being.<\/p>\n He further requested that the President recognise outstanding guards through national honours, citing the example of a security guard named Okindo, whom he credited with preventing a truck from entering the United States Embassy during the 1998 Nairobi bomb blast.<\/p>\n Andabwa maintained that private security guards deserve fair remuneration, dignity and professional recognition commensurate with the critical role they play in safeguarding the country.<\/p>\n \u201cBawabu ndio bottom-up. Hatutaki vyeo. hatutaki kiti ya President au kiti ya governor. Tunataka minimum wage, pesa mfukoni,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The post \u2018We Are Not Watchmen\u2019: Private security guards push for dignity, fair wages<\/a> appeared first on KBC Digital<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Private security guards have appealed to President William Ruto to champion improved pay, stronger legal protections and greater recognition for their contribution to Kenya\u2019s security. Speaking at a meeting with President Ruto at State House, Nairobi, Isaac Andabwa, General Secretary of the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), stated that despite their crucial role […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-149078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149078\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}