When most businesses across Uganda recently rolled out the red carpet to celebrate Customer Service Week, a critical group of frontline workers was entirely left out of the conversation.
Receptionists, call-centre agents, and restaurant waiters received accolades, while the men and women sitting or standing at the gate were overlooked.
Yet, long before a customer checks into a hotel, places an order, or meets a client, a private security officer has already shaped their experience by opening the gate, inspecting the vehicle, offering directions, and helping them park.
This oversight highlights a daily reality across offices, banks, and supermarkets: the private security guard is both the first and last employee a customer interacts with, making them vital ambassadors for an organization’s overall guest experience.
Moses Aboke, a 57-year-old security officer with Securex Agencies Uganda stationed at a Centenary Bank branch in Kireka, understands this responsibility intimately. With four decades of experience, Aboke sees his post not merely as a checkpoint, but as a chance to set a welcoming tone.
Whether he checks visitors for weapons or greets them with a genuine smile, his goal is to make everyone feel appreciated. A warm greeting can ease tension before a customer even reaches the service desk, whereas a dismissive welcome can sour an entire interaction.
For Aboke, this professional approach has paid off, earning him a strong reputation and occasional recommendations for better opportunities from the people he assists daily. The job description of a private security officer has quietly expanded far beyond preventing crime.
Officers frequently find themselves performing hospitality tasks, such as showing visitors where to leave their luggage, directing them to restrooms, or helping elderly and disabled customers navigate unfamiliar premises.
Abongi Susan, another Securex guard in Banda, notes that most of her day involves customer service, from giving directions to making guests feel valued the second they walk through the door.
She emphasizes that guarding requires a delicate balance: an officer can enforce strict security rules, refuse entry, or ask difficult questions without stripping visitors of their dignity, provided they rely on empathy, patience, and clear communication.
Industry leaders argue that these invisible skills deserve far more appreciation. Grace Matsiko, the chairman of the Uganda Private Security Association, points out that guards utilize critical soft skills like active listening and de-escalation every single day.
These abilities prevent minor disagreements from escalating into conflicts long before physical enforcement becomes necessary, particularly when dealing with frustrated visitors denied access.
Despite carrying these heavy responsibilities, private security officers face steep challenges. They endure long hours exposed to the elements, shoulder physical demands, and often act as first responders during emergencies or volatile incidents, sometimes even stepping in to protect suspects from mob justice while awaiting authorities.
Yet, this high-stakes labor is frequently matched by limited recognition and low pay, meaning the rapid commercial growth of Uganda’s private security sector has not always translated into better conditions for the workers on the front line.
The broader lesson of Customer Service Week is that true hospitality starts at the property perimeter. While waiters and call-centre agents undoubtedly matter, society must acknowledge the security guards who protect property while simultaneously preserving the dignity of every visitor who enters.
Recognizing them doesn’t require elaborate corporate gestures; it starts with simple human respect, greeting them, listening, and treating them with the same courtesy they extend to the public every day.