Nairobi — The government has launched the mandatory security vetting and training for all bouncers, bodyguards, event stewards, door supervisors, event security, VIP protection, close protection, and crowd control security personnel.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director General for the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PRSA) Fazul Mahamed said the move is in line with the Private Security Regulation Act No. 13 of 2016'
In a gazette notice, Mahamed said that the nationwide exercise will also involve licensing of the personnel.
"Section 2 of the Private Security Regulation Act No. 13 of 2016 provides that bouncers, event security personnel, VIP protection personnel, Crowd Control Personnel or any other person hired or otherwise engaged to ensure order and safety on premises used for entertainment, recreational or sporting purposes falls within the legal definition of a private security service provide under the Act," he said.
"Further, section 21 and 28 of the Act require that no person shall engage in the provision of private security services unless that person has been Security vetted, registered and licensed in accordance with the Act."
The PRSA CEO said that the Authority has organized a sensitization forum at the Sarova Stanley Hotel on January 17.
The directive comes a few days after bouncers at Kettle House Bar and Grill in Nairobi attacked and stabbed several journalists accompanying police officers on a Shisha raid.
The January 5 incident resulted in several journalists from various media outlets sustaining severe injuries as others had their equipment damaged.
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The raid was conducted by officials from the National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada), who were accompanied by police officers.
Shisha smoking is prohibited in Kenya, with offenders facing legal penalties.
The operation was aimed at the establishment due to reports of it permitting patrons to smoke shisha within the club, which has connections to politician Millicent Omanga.
During the raid, the journalists and police officers were met with violence when they arrived at the bar around 11 pm targeting club managers and patrons for allegedly engaging in shisha smoking, an activity prohibited by law.
Bouncers at the club aggressively confronted the journalists, assaulting them and forcibly confiscating their recording equipment. In the ensuing chaos, several journalists were injured, and their valuable possessions and cash were stolen.
