Nairobi — The job of a private security guard is most unenviable. These people work long hours, often in the dark of night, rarely with any kind of break, and they are hardly ever appreciated - until something untoward happens.

Most private security guards are ill-trained and invariably ill-paid. Indeed, for between Sh5,000 and Sh8,000 a month, they are supposed to lay down their lives in the line of duty.

So it does sound extremely callous to raise an alarm about the Private Security Regulation Bill 2010 which proposes arming them.The reasons a few consumer organisations are opposing the proposal are, of course, self-serving: They would have to pay more for the extra security. But the more salient issue is whether doing so is in the long-term interest of Kenyans.

If regular and administration police, who are trained in the use of fire-arms, cause jitters among civilians because of their trigger-happy tendencies, what would be the rationale for arming people who are not trained to use guns? We agree wholly with those who argue that the solution to increasing lawlessness is to recruit, train, equip and arm more police officers instead of proliferating small arms among civilians.