Cabinet moves to repeal ‘Whoever Sold His Home’ law, tightens absentee regulations, approves key donations

The Council of Ministers, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah, held its weekly meeting on Wednesday at Bayan Palace, during which it took several key decisions, including assigning the Minister of Housing to take the necessary steps to repeal Law No. 2 of 2015 — widely known as the “Whoever Sold His Home” law.

The Cabinet also tasked the Civil Service Bureau with developing a mechanism to hold government employees accountable for unauthorized absences from work, reports Al-Rai daily.

The decision to repeal the housing law follows an explanation by the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdul Latif Al-Mishari, who highlighted the law’s negative social impact.

He said the law created an imbalance in housing care opportunities by favoring a certain group of citizens — those who sold their homes between 1992 and 2015 and repaid their loans — over others still awaiting housing assistance.

Al-Mishari noted that this contradicted the principles of justice and equality and called for a redirection of housing care resources to those truly in need. The Cabinet thus assigned Minister Al-Mishari to proceed with repealing the 2015 law amendment to Law No. 47 of 1993.

To address chronic absenteeism, particularly around holidays, the Cabinet assigned the Civil Service Bureau to develop a system to penalize employees who are absent from work without permission. Penalties are to be reflected in annual performance evaluations, promotions, and reward eligibility. The Bureau has been asked to report back within two weeks.

The Cabinet also extended congratulations to the Saudi leadership on the successful organization of the Hajj season for the year 1446 AH. It praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its outstanding hospitality, high-level organization, and medical services provided to pilgrims. Appreciation was also extended to Kuwait’s Hajj Mission and all government bodies for facilitating a smooth pilgrimage for Kuwaiti citizens.

The Prime Minister reassured the Cabinet about the health of First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, who recently underwent medical tests, and wished him continued well-being.

On development matters, the Cabinet approved the Public Services Committee’s recommendation to accept donations for green urban initiatives across various governorates. These include beautifying roads and streets through landscaping.

The Cabinet also approved the Ministry of Health’s request to accept two generous donations: one from Abdullah Saleh Al-Shalfan to renovate the emergency department at Al-Amiri Hospital, and another from Kuwait Finance House to rehabilitate the tenth wing of the addiction center.

The Council of Ministers expressed its gratitude to all individuals, companies, and cooperative societies for their generous contributions, emphasizing that such initiatives enhance public services and reflect Kuwait’s spirit of giving.

Several other agenda items were reviewed, with some referred to specialized ministerial committees for further study and procedural completion.