Have you been under rating the watchmen? Then you might not be able to do so anymore! Once at your gate, you will have to be sure of security. The close to 700,000 private guards in Kenya will get comprehensive training as the government seeks to raise their calibre to match the need for their services.
A draft of a curriculum to be rolled out by the government shows they will be equipped with skills that go beyond the routine sentry and guard work.
The curriculum is an initiative of the Private Security Regulatory Authority (PSRA).
Besides training on basic procedures, the guards will be equipped with skills to detect security risks, threats, hazards and how to respond effectively in collaboration with other agencies.
Crucially, the curriculum has a component on counter-terrorism, informed by rising threats, whose outcomes have left private security guards among the victims.
These would be complemented by training on emergency responses, health and safety, effective communication and conflict management, handling of equipment, ethics and integrity, report writing and career progression.
The team that drafted the syllabus was drawn from PSRA, National Police Service, National Intelligence Service, Kenya Defence Forces and security experts.
Anyone wishing to be a guard would have to attend 240 hours of training before being allowed into the field.
Based on an ordinary eight-hour working day, that translates to a month of training.
A hundred and sixty hours or 20 days would be for attachment. Existing guards will take a 40-hour refresher course.