In this new post of our series on “People in security”, we present the first three country surveys conducted by ICoCA among security personnel in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Just recently published, the surveys were conducted in 2023 by Consumer Options Ltd, Nairobi, among thousands of guards in all major cities within the three East African countries.
The surveys do not only provide evidence of the appalling working conditions prevailing in the region but also brings for the first time a wealth of data on the private security sector in East Africa and the relation between poor working conditions and the risk of abuses by under-paid and exploited personnel.
It shows the human consequence of a well-known phenomenon in the private security industry, the “race to the bottom” fuelled by clients and security companies seeking to generate profits by cutting costs on working conditions of the guards, askaris in Swahili: paying them below minimum wages and imposing excessive working hours on this large vulnerable workforce with little alternatives for employment. Our research also points at solutions and opportunities for change and calls on clients, authorities and private security companies, both local and international, to put an end to exploitative employment practices.
While the human rights community generally look at people in uniform with a punitive lens, as possible perpetrators of abuses, it has rarely considered the experience of people working in security and the possible improvement of their working condition as a way to prevent misuse of power or excessive use of force.
The same applies to private security: In 2022-2023 ICoCA conducted the first global research on the working conditions of guards. The findings and recommendations were published in a study and policy brief entitled “When the abused becomes the abuser”. The research was based on interviews with specialists and a survey among guards on all continents, circulated by UNI Global Union (a Global Union Federation for the skills and services sectors, uniting national and regional trade unions with affiliated unions in 150 countries). The study confirmed ICoCA’s field observations that private security guards are generally among the lowest categories of staff in the formal economy. Thanks to a grant by the UK FCDO, ICoCA could conduct the first three in-country surveys, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, which provide a much more granular analysis of the situation, confirming some of the global trends but also highlighting regional and national specific realities.
Approximately 1000 guards could be interviewed in each country in various locations, working for various types of companies and clients, allowing for a high degree of representativity of the findings. Interviewees were selected to be nationally representative, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 3%. As such, these findings provide insight into the perspectives of security guards in major cities and employers throughout the region.
The private security industry in East Africa
Kenya and Tanzania have a very large private security industry employing hundreds of thousands of guards in each country in the formal sector and perhaps even more in the informal economy. In Kenya, the exact numbers of security officers is unknown but industry statistics estimate this category to employ about 700,000 private security guards while about 1.2 million Kenyans depend on this sector.
The research focuses on the formal private security sector but there are many other guards employed informally. They are commonly hired by individuals to protect their properties. They are a common sight sitting in front of homes or small shops everywhere in the region. As many of them are Maasai, an East African tribe renowned for its warrior-type qualities whose members are easily recognisable by their coloured tartan clothes, the term “Maasai” became a generic name for “watchman”.
While we will see that guards often experience similar challenges across the region private security has developed differently in each countries. The history of the industry, its size, the security risks it covers and the clients it protects are different.
The regulatory environment is also very different with Kenya having the most advanced regulatory framework in place. Kenya has the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) which was set up to regulate the private security industry. Pursuant to PSR Act 2016, the regulator set up new rules subjecting private firms to vetting and clearance. The authority has since published the list of private security companies that have complied with this regulation.
The region has been experiencing a series serious incidents involving private security guards. Some made the international headlines, as they involved large multinational companies: In Kenya, killings and other violences committed by security guards at the Kakuzi avocado farm and most recently the Delmonte pinaple farm have led large British supermarkets like Tesco or Waitrose to suspend their importation from these farms.
In Tanzania, the most visible incidents have involved violence committed against the local community and artisanal miners in and around large extractive sites. Artisanal mining around extractive sites is driven by poverty due to lack of alternative livelihood options in these remote regions. Mines typically employ large numbers of guards and also rely on the local police force for their security.
In 2013, a group of Tanzanians filed a lawsuit in the UK High Court against the North Mara Mine after alleged incidents involving the use of excessive force by police and private security resulting in deaths and injuries at the mine. The mistreatment of artisanal miners by security guards at the Williamson mine in Shinyanga region led to litigation at the London High Court in 2020 and a financial and structural settlement agreement.
Uganda is the only country in the region where guards are allowed to carry firearms and has unfortunately experienced a number of violent crimes and shooting incidents. The Uganda Police Force (UPF) has recently expressed concerns raised by a surge in criminal activities involving private security guards, gun violence and the inadequate handling of firearms. Since January 2024, 20 security companies have been recommended for suspension and 7 for license cancellation due to various infractions. In many of these incidents, poor vetting and training have been identified as key drivers of the behaviour of guards.
The survey showed that private security guards in the three counties are predominantly male (between 27-30% of the respondents of the survey were women) and with secondary education level. Most of them are aged 25 to 35 years and with 2-4 years’ experience. Contrary to other parts of the world, private security does not employ large numbers of migrant workers. However, the tribal and ethnic dimensions are particularly important in the region with risks of favouritism or discriminations depending on the guards’ ethnic group. Communication may also be an issue when guards are posted in a different linguistic area of the country.
While one can observe a growing recruitment of female guards, they are still largely hired for specialized roles such as managing relations with female members of the public or administrative tasks. Companies are often invoking their reluctance to post women on more difficult postings, such as night shifts, to refrain from hiring more women. ICoCA recently commissioned an applied research project by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies to make recommendations on improving responsible security through gender diversity in private security, using the case study of East Africa (see their post and report). On the positive, there are companies that are embracing women in the guarding industry. One such company is Lady Askari and is a female oriented. This was the first company to provide women with uniform made to fit during maternity. It strives to create more opportunities for women in the industry as it believes that women can easily blend in.
Being a security guard in East Africa
Being a security guard in East Africa is challenging and this is mainly driven by how the public perceives the guards. Often the public speaks in a dismissive and disrespectful way to guards. The role of a security guard is often closely associated with certain tribes, reinforcing negative stereotypes. It is frequently viewed as a position reserved for individuals from specific ethnic groups, often perceived as lacking education, decision-making abilities and as a profession for those considered to have failed in life. This association perpetuates social stigmas, diminishing the dignity of the work and reinforcing broader societal biases. Some of the guards take the job because they need a stepping stone to get to the next level. With the negative perception plaguing the job, guards automatically loose confidence in who they are. The industry has also not developed enough to consider guarding as a career that can be followed. This is mainly because there is high competition which has led to private security companies accepting low paying contracts. This leads to compromise in the paying of guards and development of the industry. The effect is a dissatisfied workforce with low wages, no overtime pay and long work hours.
Many of the guards in East Africa work seven days a week which means that they do not rest as is needed.
Favouritism and discrimination play a big role on where a guard is posted. A large number of the surveyed guards say that supervisors determined postings, based on the type of favours they received. If guards are not willing to offer favours, they are posted far away from where they live, making their commutes longer. As they attend to their 12 – 16 hours shifts, they have very little personal time. Guards mentioned that they are not paid for overtime work. This is particularly important in Kenya and Tanzania.
Guards also had issues with uniform distribution. In some of the private security companies, guards are asked to pay a joining fee which covers uniform. This uniform is often requested back when the guard is leaving the company. Some companies only provide one set of uniform and expect that the guard wears the uniform all the time. This contrasted with guards who are posted to higher value clients, such as embassies, who had an average of 5-6 pairs of uniform, one for each day.
Guards who worked at night lacked warm clothing, shelter, and resources. Those guarding buildings experienced lack of water and did not have access to toilets because the buildings were locked in during the night. For example, a guard mentioned that they were locked inside a factory when doing night shifts. This poses risks in case of fire or an attack. Guards are often given training in the workplaces but, for most, it limits itself to marching in formation. Only larger private security companies take it upon themselves to do proper job training.
The guards mentioned that they are paid below minimum wage especially in Kenya, where the minimum wage is determined by the government.
A common complaint was delayed wages, as it does not allow the security officers to take care of their daily expenses. Delayed wages, in some cases, take up to 3 months and, in some instances, guards don’t receive their wages at all. A common excuse, used by private security owners, is that clients did not pay them.
Due to this, some guards take second jobs, for example, riding transport motorbikes in Kenya or doing businesses by day in Uganda and Tanzania. Mostly this was done by guards who choose to work night duty leaving their day free. Those who are supposed to be guarded are then left exposed as the security officers are too tired to execute their duties.
Whilst most guards have access to clean toilets, tables and chairs, most are not allowed to take work breaks. This means that they don’t have time to rest during the working shift. Many stand for long hours leaving them very tired at the end of their shift.
In Uganda, about 19% of the female guards have observed sexual harassment at their workplace. In Tanzania 10% and in Kenya 11%. Sexual harassment often occurs when women are trying to secure their job in the industry or ask for better deployment. Most cases of sexual harassment are by senior staff, however, the general public and clients also sexually harass female guards. Women are discriminated against upon recruitment if they are married. They are not being given time off to attend to family matters.
Poor working conditions and risk of abuses by guards
Most of the guards feel that working conditions are affecting their performance. In Kenya and Tanzania, they are in constant fear that they do not have proper weapons to wade off attacks. Guards are often blamed and accused for colluding when there are incidents such as robberies. Police often assumes that guards are complicit with the criminals. Many of the guards in the three East African counties are constantly demotivated, as they are looked down upon.
Many are not joining unions out of fear of victimisation or losing their jobs. Some who have joined unions in Kenya and Tanzania feel that their union leaders will not stand by them, are compromised by the security companies and do not fight for their betterment.
4 out of every 10 security officers observe that their fellow workers are likely to engage in unlawful behaviour when they are not treated well within the workplace. Most notable acts are stealing, accepting bribes and selling what they can get their hands on.
Conclusion
The fashion industry had its own moment of reckoning after the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, causing the death of more than 1100 people and revealing the shocking working conditions of workers. There is not yet similar awareness among the public when it comes to security and, as a result, less pressure on companies to pay attention to the working conditions of their security providers.
The International Code of Conduct for security providers includes many provisions directly related to working conditions, such as freedom of association, prohibition of forced labour or discrimination. In East Africa, a number of private security companies have already joined the Association, striving to comply with the Code and provide decent working conditions for their staff. Clients which are eager to guarantee decent working conditions can refer to the membership map of ICoCA to find a list of responsible companies.
There are best practices that we can learn from. The innovative integrated security arrangement developed in recent years at the Geita Gold Mine in Tanzania has been particularly successful given the challenging security situation that characterised the site a decade ago. ICoCA documented this case study which identifies, among other factors, the vetting, training and career progression of guards in contributing to a more harmonious relationship between the AngloGold Ashanti’s Geita Gold Mine and the surrounding community.
Clients of private security companies should be aware of their responsibilities vis-à-vis their security providers and their staff and exert due diligence ensuring that security staff are properly vetted, trained and treated. The results of the findings were presented to business actors, civil society and authorities in Kenya and Tanzania in 2023. Together with its members in the region, ICoCA will now engage in disseminating further the findings of these research.