MJAAR

Regulatory Integration and Dual Oversight of Private Security Organisations (PSOs) in Uganda

Freeman Crispus, Amos Garindwa


Abstract

This study examined the regulatory integration and dual oversight mechanisms governing private security organisations (PSOs) in Uganda, interrogating the effectiveness, coherence, and operational consequences of Uganda's bifurcated regulatory framework in which PSOs were simultaneously subject to oversight by the Uganda Police Force (UPF) under the Private Security Organisations Act (2002) and by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA) under the Private Security Organisation Regulations (2009). Uganda's private security sector had grown dramatically since the late 1990s, from an estimated 12,000 private security personnel in 2000 to over 80,000 registered private security guards employed by approximately 600 licensed PSOs by 2023 — a workforce that had surpassed Uganda's formal police establishment of approximately 50,000 officers and whose regulatory governance remained characterised by institutional overlap, enforcement inconsistency, and accountability gaps. Drawing on a cross-sectional mixedmethods study of 218 respondents comprising senior PSO managers and compliance officers, UPF Private Security Regulatory Unit (PSRU) officials, MoIA licensing officers, intelligence coordination officials, security sector reform practitioners, and civil society security governance experts, the study employed descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple linear regression, and Structural Equation Modelling to examine how licensing and vetting regulatory integration, operational standards enforcement coherence, and accountability and complaints resolution mechanisms influenced PSO regulatory compliance quality, personnel professionalisation outcomes, and public safety contribution ratings. Descriptive statistics revealed significant regulatory integration deficits (means 2.87–3.34). Correlation and regression analyses confirmed significant positive relationships between all three regulatory dimensions and PSO governance quality (r = 0.574–0.721, p < .001). The three dimensions collectively explained 63.4% of variance in PSO governance quality (R² = 0.634, F = 37.48, p < .001). SEM confirmed licensing and vetting integration as the strongest total effect predictor of governance quality (total β = 0.512), with operational standards enforcement partially mediating this relationship (indirect β = 0.147). The study recommended an integrated regulatory authority, mandatory digital vetting systems, standardised training certification, and strengthened interagency intelligence coordination as priority reform interventions.

Keywords

Private Security Organisations PSO Regulation Dual Oversight Uganda Police Force Ministry of Internal Affairs Security Governance Regulatory Integration SEM Uganda
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Freeman Crispus & Amos Garindwa (2026). Regulatory Integration and Dual Oversight of Private Security Organisations (PSOs) in Uganda. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(9). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=1877

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