Kuwait cracks down on illegal markets and shops

Kuwait City: The Joint Committee at the Public Authority for Manpower in Kuwait found that 75 expats in Jleeb Al Shuyoukh have violated the law by setting up makeshift and illegal markets, restaurants and bakeries on the streets and in residential buildings, Al Rai reported.

In cooperation with Kuwait’s Municipality, the inspection team implemented a court-ordered plan to arrest the expats who opened unlicenced stores that are in violation of the labour law, as well as health requirements.

The inspectors found that 26 of the violators were in Kuwait on visa 20, which is a domestic workers visa. As for the 49 others, they were in possession of visa 18, which allows them to work in the private sector.

The Deputy Director General of the Public Authority for Manpower, Mubarak Al Azmi, told Al Rai, “The campaign aims to ensure that all expats are following the labour law and to apprehend anybody that was in violation of the law.”

Al Azmi added, “The violators will be handed over to the authorities concerned and the files of their sponsors will be suspended and official measures will be taken against them.”

Illegal markets

The setting up of illegal markets have been going on for years, especially in areas that are predominantly populated by labourers.

Last month, the makeshift markets began growing, after they had slowed down due to the lockdown enforced to curb the spread of COVID-19.

According to Al Seyassah, many expats prefer buying their groceries, even clothes, from the makeshift markets as they tend to cost almost half of the original price in supermarkets and shops.

These makeshift markets are most common in areas like Jleeb Al Shuyoukh, Khitan and Farwaniya.