Choosing a security company is one of the few purchases where the cheapest option can cost you far more than you saved. A poorly paid, untrained or unsupervised guard is a risk to your property, not a protection. Before you sign, ask these nine questions.
1. Are you registered and licensed?
Private security companies in Kenya are regulated under the Private Security Regulation Act, 2016, and must be registered with the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA). Ask for the company's registration details and check they are current. A company that hesitates to show you its papers is telling you something.
2. How do you vet your guards?
At a minimum, every guard should have a valid Certificate of Good Conduct, verified references and a confirmed national ID. Ask whether vetting is done before or after a guard starts work. It should be before.
3. What training do guards get before they're deployed?
Ask for the training syllabus. Good training covers access control, patrolling, report writing, fire safety, first aid, radio procedure and how to handle conflict. Ask also whether guards get an induction on your site before their first shift.
4. Do you pay at least the minimum wage?
This matters more than most clients realise. A guard who is underpaid or paid late is more likely to sleep on duty, leave suddenly, or be tempted by an insider job. If a quote seems impossibly cheap, ask how the company can pay its guards legally at that price.
Rule of thumb: if a quote is far below every other quote you received, the difference is usually coming out of the guard's wages, training or supervision.
5. How is the guard supervised?
Ask how often supervisors visit, whether visits are unannounced, and whether they happen at night. Ask how the company confirms that patrols actually happen, for example with guard tour checkpoints or patrol logs.
6. What happens when an alarm goes off?
If you're buying alarm response or panic buttons, ask where the control room is, whether it is staffed 24 hours a day, and how many response vehicles cover your area. Ask for their honest average response time in your area, not a best case.
7. Who do I call when something goes wrong?
You should have a named account manager and a 24-hour number that a person answers. Ask what reports you will receive and how often.
8. What insurance do you carry?
Ask for proof of public liability insurance and work injury cover for guards. If a guard is injured on your premises, or your property is damaged, you need to know who pays.
9. What are the contract terms?
Read the notice period, the price review clause, and what happens if a guard is absent. A good contract states that absent guards are replaced, or that you are not charged for the shift.
Get it in writing
Ask for a site assessment and a written proposal before you sign anything. A professional company will visit, identify the risks and explain how its proposal deals with them, and it won't just quote a price per guard over the phone.
Protech Security offers a free site assessment and written quote for sites across Kenya. Request a quote or call our control room on 0725 310 112.
