Editor's Review

Francis Atwoli on Tuesday, January 17,  stated that COTU has received alarming petitions from current and former employees of the private security firms.

Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has requested President William Ruto to crack down on rogue private security firms.

In a press statement on Tuesday, January 17, Atwoli stated that COTU has received alarming petitions from current and former employees of the security firms.

He stated that despite asking the firms to formalize their operations, they have continued to violate security workers' rights and welfare.

“The Central Organization of Trade Unions, COTU (K), has received an alarming number of petitions from current and former employees of the many rogue private security firms that have blatantly refused to observe minimum wage guidelines, notwithstanding the gazettement of the minimum wage by the Government of Kenya.

“We have written to a number of these private security firms demanding that they, first, formalize their operation, through being registered and listed by the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PRSA), so that they pay taxes to the government and other statutory deductions. And, second, to ensure that they pay their employees nothing less than the gazette minimum wage. However, it must be noted that just like the many unscrupulous employment agencies, which are registered under the National Employment Authority (NEA) yet act as facilitators of modern-day slavery, many private security firms, registered under PRSA, equally engage in racketeering and violate the labour rights of workers in this sector,” the statement read in part.

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File image of COTU Sec-Gen Francis Atwoli

Atwoli noted that most of the private security firms are not registered by the PRSA and have been evading tax.

“More than 90% of private security firms exist in formlessness considering they are not registered entities yet they employ Kenyans in this 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,” he added.

The vocal trade unionist asked President Ruto to crack a whip on the private security firms, have them registered under PRSA, and pay their workers a decent salary.