The Cotu Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called on President William Ruto to crack down on 'rogue' private security firms operating in the country.
Atwoli in a statement on Tuesday said all the security firms should be registered and listed by the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PRSA), a move that will also ensure the government collects revenue.
Atwoli said Cotu has received numerous reports and complaints from current and former employees about the said rogue private security firms.
He said they have failed to observe minimum wage guidelines as gazetted by the government.
According to Atwoli, more than 90 per cent of private security firms exist illegally as they are not registered entities yet they employ Kenyans in the sector.
“Consequently, the government loses in revenue from these firms considering their existence is aimed at tax avoidance and evasion and, also, non-remittance of statutory deductions,” Atwoli said.
The Cotu boss said failure by the government to crackdown on the said private security firms has continued to negatively affect the more than 1.2 million Kenyans.
“Most are hustlers who voted in the government of the day, who are employed in this sector,” he said.
Atwoli noted that Cotu has already written to a number of these private security firms demanding that they formalise their operation by being registered and listed by PRSA so that they pay taxes to the government and other statutory deductions.
The letter written through the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union (KNPSWU), also demands that the firms pay their employees nothing less than the gazette minimum wage.
“However, it must be noted that just like the many unscrupulous employment agencies, many private security firms registered under PRSA equally engage in racketeering and violate the labour rights of workers in this sector,” he noted.
According to Atwoli, a majority of the 183 private security firms registered under PRSA remain the worst violators of security worker rights and welfare.
