A new security think tank has been formed to help enhance national security through standardisation of the private sector.
The Association of Corporate and Industrial Security Management Professionals of Kenya (ACISMP) is the first of its kind in the region.
It brings together top-ranking former military officers who left the army to join state agencies, multinationals, international humanitarian organisations and consultancy firms as security bosses.
It will allow peer reviews by serving and retired officers.
“We have a diverse pool of members with rich and exemplary careers in investigations, intelligence, fraud, threats assessments, strategy, vital installations and infrastructure protection,” said ACISMP chair Twalib Mbarak.
The members are graduates with professional security certification from international agencies.
"Whereas it appears to have drawn its membership from senior military officials, this is not unique. Even the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in the USA initially had many ex-FBI staff but was later opened to the public under strict terms," he explained.
"In future, we will also open up our membership to personnel from other armed national security formations, with specific expertise, and only those who meet our strict criteria to ward off quacks."
The network, Mbarak said, will be a one-stop shop for those looking for security services ranging from surveillance installation, training, security advice, analysis, investigation, infrastructure and amenities protection.
“Emerging security threats have resulted in increased need for security services. Bogus security personnel masquerading as risk consultants and advisers have emerged too and private security companies have mushroomed to complement government agencies," said secretary general Augustine Lokwang.
"The association will help rid off the sector quacks."
Lokwang said their members oversee complex security programmes to protect Kenya's key organisations such as Kenya Power, KenGen, Kenya Railways, Tullow Oil, Kenya Ferry Services, Safaricom and banks.
“... hence the importance of ensuring the association's mandate and objectives are mirrored in the entry criteria and members' compliance with a set code of ethics once on board."
Mbarak said the association will produce security journals and engage in research on contemporary security threats so it complements government functions in dealing with crime.
The association's first officials were elected over the weekend - Mbarak, a security and integrity manager at KenGen became the chair; Mike Kariuki, a security managers at Safaricom took the vice chair position whereas Lokwang who is Turkana's security adviserr became secretary general.
Nicholas Mayenze, security operations manager at Kenya Revenue Authority, took the organising secretary post while Kenya Power security officer became the treasurer.