Ruto orders private security firms to pay guards Ksh30,000 minimum wage

President William Ruto has directed private security companies across the country to ensure all private security officers are paid the Ksh30,000 government-approved minimum wage.

Speaking at State House in Nairobi on Thursday, August 6, Ruto also directed the firms to ensure that mandatory statutory deductions, including contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), are fully remitted.

The President said some companies have ignored his directive issued on Labour Day to increase the minimum wage by 15 percent, while others continue paying workers as little as Ksh6,000 per month.

Ruto termed the practice illegal and inhumane, insisting that no employer should pay workers below the government-approved minimum wage.

“On May 1 this year, I issued a directive on minimum wage to be increased by 15 percent, but I have been told that many companies have refused to increase minimum wage by 15 percent. Today I am warning them,” Ruto said.

“Others are even paying as little as Ksh6000 and Ksh7000. The law of Kenya says that it is inhumane for a person to pay below the minimum wage,” he added.

Ruto directed the Ministries of Interior and Labour, and the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA), to work together to ensure that all private security companies comply with labour laws.

He said every security company must operate within the law and guarantee workers receive at least the minimum wage, adding that the requirement is non-negotiable.

“Our good friends in the private security space, the regulator is here, the Ministry of Interior and Labour are here. We must work together to ensure all security companies operate within the parameters of the law,” he stated.

The latest directive comes about four years after the government published a gazette notice compelling employers to pay private security officers a minimum of Sh30,000 in gross pay per month.

In a gazette notice published by the PSRA, any employer who failed to adhere to the directive would be fined Ksh2 million, and if the court deemed fit, could also be imprisoned.

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The new salary included a minimum basic pay of Ksh18,994, house allowance of Ksh2,850, and overtime allowance of Ksh8,157, summing up the total gross pay at Ksh30,000.

Minus statutory deductions, which include the NSSF (1080), Social Health Insurance Fund (825), Pay As You Earn (1,229), and Affordable Housing Levy (450), the minimum amount landing in the private security guards’ bank accounts at the end of the month is Ksh26,415.

Meanwhile, during the State House event, Ruto also took issue with the awarding of government security contracts to firms that fail to comply with labour laws, saying companies that underpay workers should not be considered for public tenders.

He warned procuring entities against awarding contracts solely based on the lowest bid if it comes at the expense of workers’ rights.

“The lowest bidder cannot be the one who does not pay minimum wage to these people. You cannot award a security contract to a security company that does not pay their employees minimum wage,” Ruto stated.

The President further issued a 60-day deadline to the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labour, PSRA, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and the National Police Service (NPS) to implement the directives and report back on progress.

“I now want the Interior Ministry, Labour Ministry, Private Security Regulatory Authority, the Governor of Nairobi and the National Police Service to sit down and, after 60 days, come back to me and tell me whether they have implemented what I have said so that these people can run their activities smoothly,” he said.

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