Private guards welcome ruling stopping ‘forceful’ deductions

Private guards have welcomed a court ruling that stops deductions ranging between Sh5,000 and Sh8,000, which some training institutions have forcefully been charging them as training fees.

Through the Secretary-General of the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), Isaac Andabwa, the guards condemned institutions for making deductions from their meager salaries without consulting them, especially when they have yet to implement a government directive setting minimum wages.

“It is a mockery that some training institutions are deducting salaries of guards, yet a number of security companies have not implemented the directive of Sh30,000 minimum wage for all guards as per Legal Notice No. PSRA/005/2023,” Andabwa said in a statement.

He stated that the deductions have placed a huge economic burden on the shoulders of the guards.

“Raiding the guards’ pockets, which have already been depleted by many other deductions and taxes, is against Section 87 and 98 of the International Labour Organisation,” he added.

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KNPSWU had moved to court to seek legal redress to quash the “illegal orders” by the Ministry of Interior and the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) to private security companies to deduct up to Sh8,000 from guards’ salaries for training and issuance of guard force numbers.

The union now insists that the matter should be put up for open discussion.