Officials from Kuwait’s interior ministry met their counterparts from the ministries of communication, justice and transport to discuss enforcing utility bill and traffic fine payment by expatriates.
New rules will ensure expats pay their bills before they can exit the country.
Last week, the Kuwaiti Interior Ministry confirmed that, effective August 19, expats, who make up 70 per cent of Kuwait’s population, must pay their traffic fines in full regardless of the reason for leaving the country.
“The Ministry of Interior announces that it will take the necessary measures to collect the outstanding debts based on the decree number (17/1959) for expatriates residence law and decree number (67/1976) regarding traffic,” the ministry said.
Following that announcement, the combined Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy confirmed it would follow suit and mandated that all expats must clear their electricity and water bills before exiting the country.
Payments can be made through the “mew-pay” online platform, the Sahel app for government e-services, or the customer service office at the T-4 terminal of Kuwait International Airport, the ministry said.
According to a government source, ministry officials will continue to meet and discuss the necessary regulations this week to enforce the new laws.
This will also include linking the intra-ministry systems with passport control at Kuwait International Airport in the coming week during a trial period to ensure it works effectively ahead of a September 1 deadline, when the new law regarding utility bills is enforced.
“For now, there is an continuing integration between the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy to link their systems at the airport ahead of the September 1 deadline when the new rule comes into force,” a source close to the matter told The National.
“The next phase will include all other ports of exit including land and sea borders,” the source added.
While the Electricity Ministry has not confirmed specific details on debts owed, the government has estimated that the ministry is owed tens of millions in Kuwaiti dinars' (tens of millions of dollars) worth of utility bills from expats who had left the country and absconded without having paid the balance of their bills.
The new laws will likely gain the support of MPs in parliament who will return to their ordinary sessions in October following their summer break time.
“While some critics may see this as an extreme way of enforcing another rule on expats in the country, the simple fact is that the government cannot afford to continue paying for such bills from expats who have absconded,” one former MP told The National, preferring to remain anonymous.
The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday that Kuwait's economic recovery is continuing but risks to the oil producer's outlook "remain substantial" and gridlock between the government and parliament continues to delay reforms.
The IMF's executive board, in an assessment following consultations with the Kuwaiti government, said real gross domestic product is seen slowing to just 0.1 per cent this year after 8.2 per cent growth in 2022, mainly due to oil production cuts.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
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7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
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Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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- Westminster, London
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
