Three security firms have appealed to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior and the National Administration to prevent the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) from cancelling their operating licenses.
Bedrock Security Services Limited, Bedrock Security Alarm Systems and Products Limited, and Superb Skills Solutions Limited are among nine companies that were affected by PSRA’s decision to cancel their licenses on February 5th, 2024, without prior warning or valid reasons. These companies are active members of the Professional Security & Safety Association of Kenya and Protective Security Industry Association.
The three firms, represented by their lawyers, have informed the PSRA that it is now functus officio, estopped, prohibited, and barred from addressing the matter until the Cabinet Secretary (CS) makes a decision within 30 days, as provided for under section 43 of the Private Security Regulation Act of 2016. This automatically gives a stay of the irrational notice.
The action follows court battles and protests from industry associations that disagreed with a previous PSRA notice calling for a minimum wage of Kes. 30,000 per guard. The notice was later disowned by CS Labour Florence Bore.
Section 43 of the PSRA Act of 2016 allows for an appeal to the Cabinet Secretary if a practitioner is aggrieved by a decision of the Regulator. It also stipulates that the moment an appeal is lodged with the Cabinet Secretary, the Authority and its secretariat are estopped, prohibited, and barred from handling the matter until the CS resolves the dispute.
Additionally, the CS is required to appoint a three-man Adhoc team to advise him on the dispute, and he must make a determination within 30 days.
