Kenya: Ruto Orders Crackdown On Security Firms Ignoring 15 Percent Wage Increase

What the report says

President William Ruto has ordered tighter enforcement of Kenya’s labour laws against private security firms that have not applied the government’s 15 percent minimum wage increase. The remarks were made in Nairobi at State House during an address to thousands of private security officers, according to Capital FM, which AllAfrica distributed.

Ruto said some employers had failed to implement the wage adjustment announced during this year’s Labour Day events. He also said reports had shown some guards still earning below the legal minimum, with pay in the range of Sh6,000 to Sh8,000. The president framed compliance as a legal requirement rather than a matter for negotiation, and said the regulator, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour should work together to ensure companies follow the rules.

The government signaled a willingness to hear employers’ concerns if they are facing financial strain, but Ruto stressed that workers must receive at least the minimum wage guaranteed by law. The issue matters because private security is a large employer in Kenya, and the dispute highlights ongoing tensions between labour standards and business costs in a sector that often relies on low-paid frontline staff. More broadly, minimum wage enforcement remains a recurring labour issue in Kenya and other parts of East Africa.