A security guard is on duty. PHOTO/ FILE
The findings of a survey conducted on the working conditions of private security guards in Uganda has painted an image of an industry that subjects its employees to harsh working conditions, including failure to avail them with water and food.
The report—titled Working Conditions in Private Security Country Report: Uganda—also said guards have limited access to amenities such as toilets and shelter while at work. It further discloses that guards are often deployed without consideration of the effects that working for long hours and for days on end without breaks can have on their health and productivity. Mr Grace Matsiko, the chairperson of the Uganda Private Security Association, has, however, raised questions about the validity of the report.
“We are yet to ascertain the validity of the report. We do not know whether it merits attention, but we have seen it and are reviewing it to pick on areas that require our attention,” Mr Matsiko told this publication.
The survey, which was conducted by the International Code of Conduct Association (ICoCA), a governance and oversight mechanism for ensuring that providers of private security services respect human rights and international law, concludes that the highlighted shortcomings imply a failure of regulation.
“The police play a big role in monitoring private security firms including the deployment of guards and management of guns. Despite the high level of supervision, the private security firms still breach contracts due to unprofessionalism. This implies the sector is not fully regulated,” the report said.
Mr Kituuma Rusoke, the spokesperson of the Uganda Police Force (UPF), disagreed with the finding that the police had failed as a regulator.
“We carry out regular inspections of their premises and assess the working conditions by engaging staff at all levels and annually make reports to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). That forms the basis for the issuance of licences. This explains why the IGP as chief licensing officer has suspended several companies,” he said.
Mr Rusoke also disclosed that several applications for operating licences remain pending on account of failure by the applicants to meet expected standards and requirements.
The study surveyed 841 employees of private security organisations in Kampala City and eight other towns, including Jinja, Entebbe and Mbale. This was during the last week of March 2023. It looked at, among others, addressed issues around recruitment, access to healthcare and advocacy channels; mental and physical health hazards; safety risks; and wages.
Poor pay
Whereas the report indicates that 88 percent of the guards are paid above the minimum wage of Shs130,000, that amount is considered too low and unable to meet the definition of a living wage as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
ILO defines a living wage as a level of pay that gives workers and their families a decent standard of living. This includes the ability to afford basic needs like food, housing, healthcare, education, transport and clothing. Employers based in Mbale were listed as the worst, with only 31 percent of the guards being paid Shs130,000.
Six percent of the guards there were being paid much less. Mr Rusoke defended the police’s failure to intervene, saying it has more to do with the law.
“You cannot attribute issues of say poor pay to the regulator. Those are more associated with the law that doesn't have a minimum wage regulation. However, as a regulator, we normally engage the private security firms to try and pay something reasonable,” Mr Rusoke opined.
Mr Kituuma Rusoke, the spokesperson of the Uganda Police Force (UPF)
On his part, Mr Matsiko blamed the poor pay on the economic situation. “The poor pay is not our making. It is what the public and even institutions of government pay us. The problem is compounded by the fact that the country does not have a minimum wage. However, as an association, we have put a cap of between Shs200,000 and Shs300,000 as the minimum entry level pay for our guards.”
The law, gaps
In February 2018 Parliament passed the Minimum Wage Bill, 2015, a private member’s Bill tabled by Mr Arinaitwe Rwakajara, the Workers’ lawmaker. The Bill sought to set up a mechanism for determining minimum wages across the different sectors while also having the Gender and Labour minister establish minimum wage boards.
President Museveni, however, declined to assent to it, saying existing laws were adequate. He also added that there were no gaps in the Minimum Wages Advisory Board. Mr Rwakajara said he is working through the office of the Speaker of Parliament to have the Minimum Wage Bill back in Parliament.
ICoCA’s report, meanwhile, reveals that 72 percent of the respondents attested to being paid for working overtime, with the highest incidents of payments for overtime being reported in Kampala, Mbarara and Entebbe. Twenty-four percent of the guards were found to have another income-generating activity to supplement their wages.
“These security guards engage in other activities mainly to supplement their income. Key activities the guards engage in include small businesses at 36 percent, farming at 21 percent and boda boda (motorcycle taxi) at 18 percent,” the report says in part.
Contracts, harassment
The report also indicates that 49 percent of the guards who were surveyed did not have contracts. The problem affected guards employed by local firms and those employed by international firms. It also picked out the existence of a big number of guards who do not know whether they have contracts or not.
The highest such incidents were reported mostly in Jinja and Mukono. However, at least 70 percent of the respondents indicated that their employers had remitted their contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Sexual harassment and discrimination based on gender, ethnic origins and age of guards feature prominently in the report.
“Sexual harassment is also a key gap in private security firms. Female guards are vulnerable to sexual harassment from supervisors and clients who may seek favours in exchange for workplace benefits,” the report says. The report adds that there is also discrimination based on gender and age of the guards.
Sections of the public reject female guards on grounds of presumed unsuitability or incompetence. Older guards are also rejected because they are regarded as unemployable. Mr Matsiko conceded that biases against female guards are quite high, but hastened to add that the association has worked to increase the number of female guards they employ to 20 percent of the entire workforce.
Burning the midnight oil
According to the report, 58 percent of the respondents revealed that they have no access to drinking water; 41 percent indicated that they do not receive meals from their employers; 33 percent indicated that they have no access to toilets; while 36 percent did not have access to chairs and tables.
“The most accessed amenities are toilets at 67 percent and chairs and tables at 64 percent. About 43 percent have access to a security guard shelter/house, while 42 percent have access to clean drinking water. However, all of these facilities are accessible to employees working in the employer’s office,” the report says.
The report also indicates that up to 71 percent of the guards in Uganda work for seven days a week, about 78 percent of them work 12-hour shifts per day, and about six percent work shifts of more than 12 hours a day, “an indication that the security guards are overworked and are fatigued.”
“Lack of proper shelters exposes security guards to bad weather. Guards also don’t receive new uniforms, face hunger, thirst and fatigue from standing and have no days off, leading to conflict at home,” the report further notes.
The report indicates that only about a third of the private security guards have access to accommodation facilities provided for by the employers, but that this happens for only a few months. However some employers were found to be providing other benefits including transport to work, accommodation and salary advances to pay medical bills.
Other guards also indicated that they receive phone calling credit, festive seasons’ packages and bonuses, daily allowances of Shs1,500 per day, extra pay for working on public holidays and paid leave once a year.
