Cairo: Kuwait’s judiciary plans to replace foreign staff with citizens in four years at most as part of an employment policy dubbed in the country as “Kuwaitisation”, a senior Kuwaiti judge has disclosed.
“In recent years, the Higher Council of Judiciary has been keen on increasing the numbers of [Kuwaiti] law school graduates appointed as prosecutors, marking the first step in the judicial ladder, after grooming and training them,” said Ahmed Al Ujeil, the council’s head and the chief judge of Kuwait’s top appeals court.
“This is considered the basis in implementing the strategy laid down by the council to implement full Kuwaitisation of the judiciary within three to four years at best,” he added.
Al Ujeil was speaking at a ceremony where 69 new Kuwaiti prosecutors took the oath of office.
“While 69 Kuwaiti prosecutors have been appointed, the mandate of 100 judicial personnel will expire by the end of the current judicial year and they will return to their home country in Egypt,” he added.
The Higher Council of Judiciary has, meanwhile, announced opening admission for a new batch of Kuwaiti prosecutors who are taking tests at present for the job, he said.
Foreigners make up nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s overall population of 4.6 million.
In recent months, there have been increasing calls in Kuwait for curbing foreigners’ employment along accusations that migrant workers have strained the country’s infrastructure facilities amid economic repercussions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
