Effect of Working Conditions on Security Services Provision by Private Security Guards in Embakasi Sub-County, Nairobi, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t3125Abstract
Private security guards play an essential role in aiding police work in high-crime cities, but problems like lack of adequate security equipment, poor management, and heavy work burdens weaken their effectiveness. This study investigated how working conditions affect private security guards' security service provision in Embakasi Sub-County, Kenya, a high-crime, industrialised region. Using the theoretical framework of Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, the study had a survey design sampling 291 security guards from 1,200 participants through cluster and convenience sampling techniques. Data was compiled through questionnaires and key informant interviews; this data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistics show that a significant percentage, 54% of security guards, lack vital security equipment. There has been an impactful reduction in the quality of their services (χ² = 4.82 Only 58% of respondents experience difficulties in performance caused by poor management (t = -2.15, p = 0.032); 44% of respondents complain about decreased effectiveness because of excessive workload (χ2 = 6.68, p = 0.0 The provision of uniforms has little effect on performance (χ² = 0.45, p = 0.501). The study recommends upgrading of security equipment to strengthen management and improve security services, including full gear of security provision, better management development, and policy change. It answers a research gap in the Embakasi sub-county by adding meaningful information that can be used to guide security firms and policymakers in developing strategies that could help enhance guard welfare and strengthen public safety.
Keywords: Working Conditions, Security Services Provision, Private Security Guards, Embakasi Sub-County
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