The Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA) on Tuesday announced the deployment of auditors to the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU).
In a statement dated Tuesday, April 13, the body led by Fazul Mahamed noted that the auditors would be investigating how salary deductions by private security officers had been used.
It was noted that the government was pushing for accountability with the audit set to cover the last three years.
The agency estimated that private security officers had remitted between Ksh300 to Ksh600 monthly to the trade union led by veteran unionist Francis Atwoli.
"We have sent out a team of auditors to conduct a forensic audit and to investigate the collection and use of all monies deducted from private security officers and remitted to COTU by private security companies over the last 3 years.
"This is a significant step towards preventing the exploitation of security guards and protecting the welfare and rights of over 1.3 million private security officers in Kenya. We have further directed all private security firms to stop COTU deductions and subsequently submit financial records of security guards trade union fee deductions and remittances made to COTU over the last three years," read the statement in part.
Notably, this move comes days after the agency also directed private security companies to stop remitting deductions of its members to the Atwoli-led body.
The move saw Atwoli come out to rebuke the move and call out Mahamed for contravening the law.
Atwoli noted that PSRA did not have any powers over the trade union adding that the salary deductions made by the security officers were embedded in law.
"It must be remembered that COTU is a free and Independent Trade Union that is neither regulated by PSRA nor any other Government Agency. As such the demands contained in the letter by PSRA can only be made by the union members and/or the respective union.
"Further, the union dues COTU receives from Private Security Workers, through their Union’s Affiliation to COTU, is as a consequence of a Gazette Notice by the Ministry of Labour, dated 2nd September 2016, considering the labour laws and the requirements of the constitution of COTU," COTU responded.
