Private security union backs Ruto’s reform push, warns politicians to keep off sector
The Mt Kenya Times 
Union Secretary-General Isaac Andabwa
The Kenya National Private Security Workers Union says the President’s intervention is a turning point — but only if promises translate into policy.
By John Kariuki
The Kenya National Private Security Workers Union has welcomed President William Ruto’s commitment to reforming the private security sector, while cautioning politicians against exploiting workers’ grievances for partisan gain.
Union Secretary-General Isaac Andabwa said Ruto’s direct engagement with private security officers marked a significant departure from decades of institutional neglect, describing it as the most meaningful government attention the sector had received in years.
“We appreciate the President for listening to private security officers and recognising the challenges they face,” Andabwa said. “This demonstrates that the Government is willing to engage with workers and find practical solutions.”
Andabwa said full implementation of the Private Security Regulation Act, 2016, was now critical to converting political goodwill into structural change — including decent wages, social protection, improved working conditions and professional recognition for an estimated 500,000 officers deployed across the country.
He welcomed Ruto’s earlier directive dropping the use of “watchmen” and “guards” in official communications, describing the language shift as symbolically important for a workforce that protects homes, hospitals, schools and commercial centres yet has historically been treated as unskilled labour.
“Recognition must go beyond words,” Andabwa said. “Our officers need decent wages, better working conditions, social protection and opportunities for professional growth.”
On the political dimension, Andabwa was direct. Private security workers cut across ethnic, regional and political lines, he said, and their welfare demands cooperation rather than political theatre. Leaders who genuinely care about the sector should support enabling legislation, not harvest workers’ frustrations for campaign material.
“The plight of private security officers should not be turned into a political football,” he said. “Their welfare should unite us rather than divide us.”
Andabwa said Kenya’s expanding economy had made the sector increasingly indispensable, with private security officers providing the baseline safety that allows businesses, schools and hospitals to function. Treating their welfare as an economic and national security priority, he argued, was not charity — it was strategic necessity.
The union said it would continue engaging the Government through structured dialogue to ensure worker concerns are embedded in ongoing reforms, and called on employers and regulators to match the President’s stated commitment with concrete action on the ground.
“What we need now is sustained implementation, continuous dialogue and accountability so that the promises made translate into real change for the men and women working on the frontline,” Andabwa said.
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