Kenya’s private security industry is set for transformation with the launch of a guard-hailing app that connects security guards directly with clients. This app aims to eliminate the inefficiencies of traditional firms, promote fair wages, and enhance accountability. With the potential to onboard over 1.3 million guards, the platform also features dynamic hiring options and emergency responses based on proximity, while fostering transparency and compliance in payments.
Kenya’s private security industry is undergoing a significant transformation with the launch of a guard-hailing app designed to eliminate traditional security firms as intermediaries. This innovative application aims to provide a direct connection between security guards and clients, ensuring fair compensation and enhanced accountability. The industry is often criticized for exploitation, as security firms have historically underpaid guards while overcharging clients, fostering inefficiencies and disparities.
Fazul Mahamed, the outgoing Director General of the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PRSA) and the innovator behind the app, explained that the new platform will facilitate direct hiring of security personnel through a digital interface. This move is intended to cut down on administrative expenses and secure equitable pay for security professionals. The phased rollout is meant to ensure regulatory compliance while aiming to onboard over 1.3 million guards, with an implementation of real-time payment structures to support fair wages.
Mahamed highlighted the application’s ambition to make Kenya a front-runner in the global landscape of private security disruption. Unlike efforts in other countries, this app endeavors to entirely remove security firms from the intermediary structure. By doing so, clients can avoid inflated costs associated with administrative overheads and can hire security personnel tailored to specific needs on a flexible basis.
The app empowers security guards by allowing them to select jobs and hours independently, enhancing job satisfaction and productivity. Furthermore, clients can adjust the level of security dynamically, depending on their requirements. This flexibility is exemplified by varying guard numbers in residential areas based on the day of the week.
An added feature of the platform is its emergency response capability, which dispatches assistance according to proximity, rather than the company affiliation of guards. This innovation is designed to improve response times and overall safety. The industry has also faced issues of tax evasion, with firms reportedly avoiding over Ksh 14 billion in taxes annually. By digitizing payment processes, the platform promotes transparency and compliance.
To ensure quality service, clients will rate guards after each assignment, enabling the identification of underperforming personnel for possible retraining or dismissal. Currently, the app has successfully onboarded 800,000 security guards, with an anticipated increase as the platform develops.
The introduction of Kenya’s guard-hailing app marks a pivotal moment in the private security sector, promising to eliminate inefficiencies caused by traditional security firms. By establishing direct links between clients and guards, the platform promotes fair wages and accountability. This transformation could lead to enhanced job satisfaction among security personnel and improved safety for clients while ensuring regulatory compliance and transparency in financial transactions. As the app scales, it has the potential to reshape the industry landscape significantly.
Original Source: www.citizen.digital
