A group of security personnel from the Immigration Service, Fire Service, and Prisons Service has announced its intention to seek legal redress over the nonpayment of rent allowances, highlighting what they describe as a “whimsical and capricious” system that has left officers financially strained and demoralized.
The officers, who operate under the Ministry of the Interior, claim that the government failed to pay their rent allowances for the entirety of 2025, covering four quarters.
According to the group, this delay has not only disrupted their ability to meet rent obligations but has also subjected them to public embarrassment and strained relations with landlords.
In a joint statement, the group said they plan to engage the services of the law firm Merton & Everette LLP, led by Oliver Baker-Vormawor, to challenge the discretionary manner in which their rent allowance is administered.
Among the legal remedies they are seeking is a court declaration that the discretionary payment of rent allowance is unlawful, as well as an order mandating that the allowance be paid alongside monthly salaries at the statutory rate of 20 percent of basic pay.
The officers further argue that the continued withholding of other allowances—such as risk allowance, transport allowance, and transfer grants, as prescribed under the Immigration Service Regulations, 2016 (LI 2245)—constitutes a violation of their fundamental rights.
They maintain that if there are legitimate reasons for not paying these allowances, the regulations should be formally amended, rather than leaving the entitlements dormant while officers go without.
According to the group, personnel from the Immigration, Fire, and Prisons Services are treated differently from other public servants under the Ministry of the Interior, many of whom reportedly receive similar allowances without interruption.
“The payment of rent allowance is as important as the monthly salary,” the officers said, emphasizing that it is part of their conditions of service and vital for securing decent accommodation for themselves and their families.
Over the years, the rent allowance has often been in arrears for several months, leaving officers struggling to honor lease agreements.
The group lamented the apparent lack of urgency from management, noting that no formal communication has been issued to explain the delays.
“The attitude is, as and when we decide, we pay,” they said, describing the approach as disrespectful and detrimental to morale.
The officers are calling for solidarity among their colleagues in the affected agencies, urging them to support the legal action and demand that their lawful entitlements be respected.
“Personnel of these agencies have been taken for granted for far too long. It is time to bring an end to the whimsical and capricious way of giving us what lawfully belongs to us,” they stated.
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