Atwoli Dares Private Security Firms To Stop Remitting KSh 1.4m Contributions After PSRA Directive

• Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) chief executive officer (CEO) Fazul Mahamed directed employers to stop remitting contributions to COTU
• COTU Kenya secretary-general Francis Atwoli dismissed the directive, saying the claims were baseless
• Atwoli warned the private security firms against implementing the directive, or else they will be prosecuted

TUKO.co.ke journalist Wycliffe Musalia brings over five years of experience in financial, business, and technology reporting, offering deep insights into Kenyan and global economic trends.

Central Organisation of Trade Union (COTU) Kenya secretary-general Francis Atwoli has dismissed directives by the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) on monthly salary deductions.

PSRA CEO Fazul Mahamed, on Monday, April 15, instructed all private security firms to halt the deduction and remittance of security guards’ monthly trade union fee contributions to COTU.

How much to security firms contribute to COTU?

Speaking in Nairobi on Tuesday, April 16, Atwoli dared the security employers to stop remitting the KSh 1.4 million monthly contributions, saying it is against the law.

"Once you join a trade union, you join as an individual. If you want to leave, you leave as a person, write to your general secretary, onward to COTU, and we will allow you to leave.

"No individual is allowed to give directives to employers. If any employer stops remitting the deductions, they will be prosecuted by the Ministry of Labour," said Atwoli.

Atwoli said all workers seeking salary increments from their employers should follow the due process of negotiating Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) through their trade unions.

He noted that the Kenya National Private Security Workers Union, which is an affiliate of COTU (K), has only declared about 9,700 members under COTU (K).

Why PSRA wants employers to stop remitting to COTU

PSRA expressed doubts regarding COTU’s effectiveness in advocating for the rights, compliance with minimum wage regulations and overall welfare of private security guards.

PSRA CEO raised concerns over COTU’s efficacy in advocating for the rights, compliance with minimum wage regulations, and general welfare of private security guards.

PSRA mandated that private security officers with guard force numbers must receive the gazetted minimum wage of KSh 30,000.

Fazul emphasised the necessity of the minimum wage, highlighting that security guards often work 12 hours a day and 72 hours a week, necessitating compensation for overtime.

Proofreading by Asher Omondi, current affairs journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.