Kenya’s private security industry is undergoing a transformation with a new guard-hailing app that eliminates middlemen, enabling direct connections between guards and clients. The app promises fair wages, improved accountability, and quicker response times while aiming to mitigate inefficiencies and address tax evasion within the sector.
The introduction of a guard-hailing application in Kenya’s private security sector heralds a significant transformation. This platform aims to eliminate traditional security firms as intermediaries by establishing a direct connection between security guards and clients, ultimately ensuring fair compensation and greater accountability.
With the current system regarded as fundamentally flawed, security firms have come under scrutiny for underpaying guards and overcharging clients. These companies are often seen as unnecessary mediators, which fosters inefficiency and injustice in the industry. Fazul Mahamed, the outgoing Director General of the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PRSA) and the app’s architect, indicated that the new digital solution would allow clients to hire security personnel directly, thereby reducing excessive administrative costs while guaranteeing fair wages.
The app, which is in the development phase, is projected to roll out gradually to ensure adherence to regulatory guidelines. Mahamed noted, “By the time full-scale implementation is achieved, over 1.3 million guards are expected to be onboard,” and highlighted that real-time payment mechanisms would ensure equitable compensation for security personnel and promote industry compliance.
Kenya aspires to be a pioneer, aiming to be the first nation to implement a broad-scale disruption in the private security realm. Mahamed stated, “Kenya will be the first country in the world to implement this kind of large scale disruption in private security.” This disrupts existing paradigms by following successful models established by ride-hailing and rental platforms, facilitating lower costs for clients through the removal of intermediaries.
With this application, users can recruit security personnel tailored to their specific requirements without being bound to rigid contracts. Guards now enjoy increased autonomy over their work schedules, thereby enhancing job satisfaction and productivity. The platform allows clients to easily adjust security provisions based on fluctuating needs, such as scaling back on weekends when residences are occupied.
Additionally, the app includes an emergency response feature designed to deploy assistance based on proximity, improving response times and thereby enhancing safety levels. The private security sector in Kenya has long struggled with tax evasion, reportedly losing Ksh 14 billion annually. By digitizing payments, the application ensures transaction transparency, benefiting both the government and security personnel. Clients will also have the ability to rate guards post-assignment, which will help identify underperforming personnel for retraining or removal.
With 800,000 security guards already onboarded, projections suggest that these numbers will rise significantly as adoption increases, positioning Kenya at the forefront of reforming private security operations.
The introduction of the guard-hailing app represents a pivotal change in Kenya’s private security industry by removing traditional intermediaries. This development is expected to enhance wage fairness for security personnel, reduce costs for clients, and improve accountability within the sector. Additionally, it aims to address long-standing issues of inefficiency, tax evasion, and worker autonomy, potentially positioning Kenya as a global leader in innovative security solutions.
Original Source: www.citizen.digital
