The security guard salary in the country for a licensed security guard has now been set at a minimum of Sh. 30,000 per month gross.
This is according to a gazette notice that was published by the Private Security Regulator Authority (PSRA).
“A person who hires, employees or otherwise engages the services of private security service provider and pays or remunerates them below the mandated basic minimum wage prescribed herein commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine or to both such fine and imprisonment in the case of a natural person and Sh. 2 million in the case of a corporate,” Fazul Mohamed, the PSRA Director General stated.
The gazette notice has further declared that any employer who will fail to honour this payment plan will be slapped with a fine Sh. 2 million. The employer could also be fined and sent to jail.
A breakdown of the proposed salary shows that it includes a minimum basic pay of Sh. 18,994, a house allowance of Sh. 2,850, an overtime allowance of Sh. 8,157 to raise the Sh. 30,000 gross.
From this pay breakdown, a security guard with the minimum salary of Sh. 30,000 will likely end up with Sh. 26,415 net. This is after statutory deductions of the National Social Security Fund (Sh. 1,080), Social Health Insurance Fund (Sh. 825), Pay As You Earn (Sh. 1,229) and affordable Housing Levy (Sh. 450).
According to Mr. Mohamed, the PSRA is currently carrying out a nationwide registration, licensing and issuance of Guard Force Numbers (GFN).
These will be issued to individual private security service providers including private security guards, corporate security officers and all persons providing security services.
This means that both formal and informal security guards who are registered will fall under this form of salary protection by the national government.
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“It will not matter whether such a person has been employed by a government institution, agencies or bodies, and/or by any individual, security companies, corporate entities, organisation, associations and or any other entity recognised by the law, the terms of employment will be the same,” the PSRA said.