Security Services Sector: An Exclusive Interview with Charles Muema of National Guard Kenya and ICSSPK

Interview with Charles Muema, Managing Director at National Guard Kenya and Chairman of ICSSPK (Institute of Certified Safety and Security Professionals of Kenya)

What is your overview of the security sector? What have been the current trends and developments?

There are a number of challenges. In terms of the government structured security services, their performance is quite good. We have an array of challenges that the government is facing mainly because of cross border crimes and terrorism, but they are dealing with them quite well. In terms of the corporate industry, we have a number of companies and we have a number of areas that are challenges for every company. For example, the government has given the private sector the mandate to perform some of the government services. This includes cash in transit, for example. While the government is providing the armed security service to this part of the sector, the corporate industry still finds it a challenge, especially during COVID. The government has in a way given a favor to the security industry because the industry is among the institutions that were not very affected during the COVID period because they were allowed to operate throughout and they were not affected by the curfews that had been put in place. The industry is picking up well after the COVID period and I look forward to a great growth in the coming days. Being a leader in the industry, and also being the Chairman of the institution that governs the code of conduct and the training for all institutions in the corporate industry and in government, I look forward to having a more organized security sector in the country.

What is the purpose of ICSSPK (Institute of Certified Safety and Security Professionals of Kenya) and how long have you led this group?

I have been Chairman of ICSSPK for three years, since it was founded in 2019. Its mandate is to come up with a framework of skill areas for different security professionals in the country from the government institutions to the corporate industry. We come up with the curriculum and the training manuals and monitor discipline and performance of corporate industry as well as the qualifications of the government security institution players.

What are the main products and services that you offer?

We offer an array of services including manned guarding, armed security, cash in transit (which many people refer to as cash management), K-9 services, air search and rescue, alarm systems, fire management, ambulatory services, and parcel services to name a few.

How have you used technology and digital advancements in National Guard Kenya?

We have an array of clientele, from the private sector to the public sector, where even the government and some of the government institutions have contracted us to provide security for them.

We are using technology very heavily. For example, in our communications and monitoring system we use satellite phones throughout so that we can break the challenges that we face around communication barriers. We have also been able to work with a technology company called Arcturus which is based in the UK through a mobile phone application called Orion to make it safer for both our workers and everyone around us. Actually, we have launched it to the whole country so that anyone who has that application can get updates on security, they can send SOS calls, they can report incidences, and after reporting we pick those incidences up and we disperse them to the respective security institutions, especially those in government. We are able to monitor the security situation in the entire country through our mobile phone application. We pose as the owners of the application locally. They give us their support services where we need the upgrades or where we need some areas worked on. They have been very good to us.

Who are the clientele that you serve?

We serve from the private sector to the government institutions. The private sector refers to the corporate world. We also have various embassies where we provide security services and support services. We have a branch we call our Diplomatic Support Unit which is specifically for offering support services to the diplomats and their security. We have an array of clientele, from the private sector to the public sector, where even the government and some of the government institutions have contracted us to provide security for them. This includes services like tracking their fleets and tracking their staff, especially those who are in special security operations. Through the applications, we are able to monitor them and report back on their safety.

What are your competitive advantages as National Guard Kenya? What makes you stand out from the competition?

National Guard is very special and it is very different from the other security institutions in Kenya. When we were founding National Guard, we founded it on a framework from a different country. We found that we had many people from the government institutions as well as many people who had taken security courses but were not able to join the government institutions. We came up with a framework where those who have left the government security institutions have a fallback plan. They join us and they are able to serve in different areas. When they we feel that their edge is failing, then we post them to their home stations. They have gone through academic security education, they hold various courses, and they are not able to find employment so we take them and utilize their skills. That kind of experience and their interaction and the kind of exposure that each of them goes through is outstanding. The services that we offer are something you cannot find anywhere else because of these qualifications.

Is there any sort of special certification and special training that you require for employees working for National Guard?

Yes, we have special kinds of certifications. For example, everyone who comes to join us has to be registered by the Institute of Certified Safety and Security Professionals of Kenya. Through that, we are able to measure their skill levels so that we know what they are able to do and what they are not able to do. If we need to train them, then we know which areas they need to be trained in.

What is your regional and international reach?

We have been able to launch several contracts outside the country. You will find us in China, South Africa, Mozambique, in many of the East African countries, in the UK, Denmark, India, and the US.

Are you looking for partners and investors to help grow National Guard Kenya further internationally?

In the near future, we will look at a partnership so that we can bring more international reach to the company. It is a way of also bringing more professionalism and trying to capture what you may not have locally.

Did COVID impact your operations specifically? How were you able to adapt?

Yes, it had an impact. For example, our client, who is now in India and whom we are providing services for in India, was locally based here prior to COVID. But because of COVID, he had to move home. When he moved home, we had to follow him there to do the work that he wanted us to do for him. So, COVID did have an impact on our company, but through our strategies, we have been able to come out strong.

What are some of your awards and achievements that you have been recognized for as National Guard Kenya?

We have received several awards from the government, including two last year. We have been able to receive different awards from non-governmental organizations and those who have seen our contribution to the security space. We have also been able to receive an award from an African country who recognized the work that we did to help their government security institution to perform.

What is one of your success stories that you are most proud of?

One that is very important to us is when we were awarded by the Kenyan government for being a security company that has been able to improve the technology and provide an array of services through technology to both the corporate industry and the Kenyan citizens. This is referring to the Orion application. There is no other institution in the country that is running security services through an application. We were able to deploy this application to monitor the safety of people, even in their homes. They come up with groups of neighborhoods or apartments, then they form a group in the application, and that group has an administrator. So, if any person encounters any threat, they are able to present an SOS message or a panic message to the members of his or her group. As the message gets to the members of his or her group to go and check up on him or her, it also gets sent to National Guard. When it gets to National Guard, we get in touch with the nearest police station and send them the location of the SOS call so that they can also go and check on what is happening. This has been able to completely change the way we manage security in the country.

What is your vision for the company in the medium term, three to five years? What do you hope to accomplish?

In the next two years, we expect National Guard to have around 70% of the corporate share in the country because of our professional standards and our professional culture. In the next two years, National Guard will also have an established hospital that will also be offering health services to both the staff and the citizenry in the country. That is a dream that we are looking forward to. When it comes to security, then you also need to touch on safety. When you are talking about safety, healthcare fits in quite well. The hospital is already registered. We are in the early stages of the project, now. It will be called National Guard Hospital. Now, we need to get a piece of land to begin construction. We have already gone through the architecture, we have the plans ready, and we are looking forward to having other investors coming in, especially in this wing of the hospital.

What is your inspiration? What drives you to do what you do?

First, I served in the government security institution. I served in the police force for 12 years. At some point, I was running police operations and logistics across the country. I looked at the way the corporate security industry was managing its services and it bothered me. At some point when I was still in the police, I looked at some guards who were doing some work somewhere and I thought I would want to have a company that will do something more professional than what I can see here. That is how I started developing the dream. I had a lot of understanding, so when I came in, things seemed to be easier for me. I had a lot of connections across the government, so it was it was easier to pull one thread from here and there to have things done the right way. I had people who believed in me because they had seen what I had done in government and they were sure that I was going to bring a change to the corporate security industry.

For more information, please visit: https://nationalguard.co.ke and https://icsspk.co.ke.

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