The Uganda Police Force has assumed control over the training of private security guards in a major policy shift aimed at strengthening professionalism and eliminating risks within the sector.
The move, which is being funded by taxpayers, will see the first cohort of 7,085 trainees complete their training on April 24, 2026 under direct police supervision.
The development was revealed by the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, David Muhoozi while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs during consideration of a petition by Private Security Organisations.
“In the proposed review of the regulations, we propose that the private security guards will be either trained from police training schools or police trainers are deployed to accredited Private Security Organisations at a subsidised cost to ensure quality standardised training,” Muhoozi said.
He added, “Actually, as we speak now, we have something like 7,085 undergoing training by the police free of charge in some of our schools for private security organisations and these belong to different agencies or private security organisations.”
The Minister further disclosed that government has developed a standardised training curriculum to improve professionalism across the industry. The curriculum is expected to equip guards with critical skills in conflict resolution, surveillance and emergency response, while also ensuring compliance with legal requirements and boosting public confidence in private security services.
However, lawmakers raised concerns over the legal framework governing the sector, calling for more comprehensive reforms.
Wilson Kajwengye supported the move to regulate training but stressed the need for a standalone law to govern private security operations.
“Regulating them is absolutely in order. However, the regulations that you so elaborately caught stem from the Police Act and the Constitution. Is it not about time that the Ministry comes up with a Bill to regulate private security organisations establishment and regulation?” Kajwengye said.
He added, “In my view, if you are going to regulate an organisation whose strength outnumbers yours, it is highly likely that it will distract you or you will use more resources than you would ordinarily have used.”
Kajwengye drew comparisons with South Africa, noting that the country has a dedicated legal framework and regulatory authority overseeing a private security workforce of over 500,000 personnel.
“So, if there was a law, a distinct law to that effect, I think it would solve. But in my view, I think it is about time that we come up with a distinct law and maybe even an authority of some sort,” he said.
He added, “I worked and lived in the Republic of South Africa. I remember, for them, they even have a private security practitioner’s authority. Because while for them, I think they are close to half a million employees in private security.”
Meanwhile, several Private Security Organisations have recently been recognised to operate in Uganda in 2026 as part of efforts to streamline the industry. These include Securitas Uganda, Saracen Uganda Limited, KK Security Uganda, Security Group Africa Uganda, G4S Uganda, ArmorGroup Uganda among others.
The government’s intervention is aimed at bringing uniformity in training standards, enhance accountability and position the private security sector as a reliable partner in maintaining national security.
