KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works Ali Al-Mousa commented on reports that the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) has referred two ranking officials at the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) to the Public Prosecution. “There will be no cover up of any suspected crime of encroachment on public funds regardless of the suspect’s position,” Mousa said in a statement Saturday. “We will continue to support efforts that protect state and citizens’ rights and public funds.”

Nazaha referred ranking officials and other staffers of PAAAFR to the Public Prosecution under graft charges. The defendants are accused of violating articles 9 and 10 of Act No 1 (1993) on protection of public funds, and are suspected of committing the crime of counterfeiting stipulated in Act 2 (2016) and its executive statutes on the founding of PAAAFR, according to a statement from Nazaha. The anti-graft agency reaffirmed its resolve to pursue thoroughly the investigations into all serious reports of graft and protect the safety of reporters with a view to ensuring full protection of public funds.

Kuwaitization policy

In another development, the Council of Ministers has asked government entities to increase the number of citizens working in 18 economic sectors where Kuwaitis are present in small numbers. Despite the importance of these sectors economically, the percentage of citizens remains less than seven percent of total expat employees.

The council has warned against the continuation of this unsustainable situation as it will create a serious flaw in the employment situation in Kuwait. This will not only harm the Kuwaitization policy but will jeopardize government initiative to encourage Kuwaitis to take up jobs in the private sector. The sectors identified by the Council of Ministers, among others, are farming, fishing, transformative industries, sewage and trash management. The list also includes construction and building, financial and insurance activities, administrative services, arts and entertainment and activities that do not come under judicial jurisdiction.

The report said the number of Kuwaitis working in farming, animal husbandry and fishing is only 380 although a total of 62,000 expatriate employees working in these sectors. Despite the importance of retail sector and automobile maintenance and servicing industry, less than 2,000 Kuwaitis are working in these segments. Although there are thousands of Kuwaiti graduates who are specialized in automobile and mechanical engineering, they are working in fields other than their expertise and specialization.

The report shows more than 42,000 expats work in the transformative industries while Kuwaitis remain less than 9,000. Transformative industries have employed 13,000 Kuwaitis against 128,000 expats while the number of Kuwaitis in the transport and warehousing sector is only 9,000 against 42,000 expats.