Security guards in Mombasa are demanding an increase in their pay and allowances.
The guards are seeking a basic salary of Sh30,000 and a house allowance of Sh5,000 per month.
Kenya National Private Security Workers Union secretary general Isaac Andabwa said pay is one of the changes they are proposing for better working conditions.
Currently, the lowest-paid guard receives Sh4,000 and the highest Sh25,000 a month.
“The era of employees being constantly on a minimum wage went with the last century,” Andabwa said.
He spoke on Monday during the launch of an awareness campaign to sensitize guards on a government plan to issue them with firearms.
The union is also pushing for a payment of Sh12,000 directed toward life insurance policies for them and their families.
Further, they asked for an increase in house allowances provided by security firms.
“It is said that some firms pay as little as Sh800 as traveling allowance for employees. What will Sh800 do for an employee traveling to Western from Coast?” Andabwa said.
“Members should not be subjected to inhumane conditions while they guard the lives and properties of rich people who are living large.”
He said the push to arm private security guards has been misinterpreted by Kenyans.
"The law talks about employees being armed with tools of work and not necessarily firearms," Andabwa said.
Further, private security guards should not be overworked as this affects their productivity.
“The law says an employee should not work for more than eight hours a day. But here we have firms forcing our members to work for as long as 12 hours without compensation for the extra hours worked. That is slavery,” Andabwa said.
He said security guards working night shifts are entitled to a special allowance, something he said employers rarely do.
“Those working night shifts sacrifice their time when everybody else is asleep,” he said.
The unionist said private security guards are not replacing police officers as claimed by some critics.
Critics have used the debate on arming private security guards to insinuate the security guards are angling to take over the assignments of police officers.
“We are moving in tandem with the regular police in enhancing security in the country with the numbers we have,” he said.
“We are not competing with them or trying to take over their jobs.”
(Edited by N. Mbugua)
