Kuwait’s anti-corruption drive gains momentum as Nazaha reports strong 2025 results

The Public Authority for Combating Corruption “Nazaha” announced that 2025 witnessed significant progress in Kuwait’s national integrity system, with notable advances in compliance levels and the spread of a culture of integrity and corruption prevention across state institutions and society.

In its annual report, Nazaha said these achievements were driven by an integrated framework of preventive, legislative and awareness measures, alongside training programs and local and international conferences.

The authority highlighted the success of the Kuwait Strategy for Promoting Integrity and Combating Corruption (2019–2025), which received the Arab Government Excellence Award 2025 in the category of Best Arab Initiative for Developing Government Work, organized by the League of Arab States.

Nazaha attributed this recognition to the strong support of the political leadership for strengthening the integrity system and consolidating anti-corruption efforts in the country, repoprts Al-Rai daily.

The authority confirmed that the national strategy achieved a completion rate exceeding 89 percent, targeting all segments of society, including the public and private sectors, individuals and specialized bodies.

It described the strategy as a successful model of partnership between government, the private sector and civil society, noting its positive impact on service quality, the integrity environment and Kuwait’s performance in international indicators.

Nazaha added that the strategy was accompanied throughout its implementation by continuous monitoring, evaluation and measurement of operational indicators and achieved impact.

Nazaha revealed that it has established electronic linkage with 13 government entities to verify the accuracy of financial disclosure data. The total number of financial disclosure statements received reached 49,564 statements covering 21,072 individuals, including initial, updated and final declarations.

During 2025, 1,035 individuals were referred to the Public Prosecution, including those who failed to submit declarations on time, provided incomplete information, or were subject to complaints and reports related to suspected corruption.

Within the framework of promoting professional conduct, Nazaha, in cooperation with the Civil Service Bureau, continued implementing its performance project for the third year. The number of participating government entities increased from 14 to 27, while the number of beneficiaries rose from 26,000 in 2024 to 66,000 in 2025, reflecting growing institutional commitment to ethical standards.

The authority said amendments introduced under Law No. 69 of 2025 significantly enhanced Nazaha’s performance by addressing gaps in the 2016 legislation. The new law expanded the categories of individuals subject to its provisions, strengthened the authority’s independence, and empowered it to appeal Public Prosecution decisions to dismiss reports.

It also granted Nazaha the right to reach settlements in cases of delayed financial disclosure, striking a balance between deterrence and flexibility, within a framework based on transparency and the rule of law.

Nazaha continued to represent Kuwait in international anti-corruption forums, participating in meetings of working groups under the UN Convention against Corruption. It also took part in the 11th Conference of States Parties, held in Doha last December.

Regionally, Nazaha hosted the annual meeting of the GCC Anti-Corruption Experts Committee and the 11th GCC Ministerial Committee on Anti-Corruption, during which several new Gulf guidelines were adopted to strengthen institutional work and harmonies practices among member states.

Nazaha reported significant expansion of the “Banki” program in 2025, covering more than 100 public and private schools across various educational districts. The program involved over 10,000 teachers and benefited 47,740 students.

Implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education and the National Bank of Kuwait, the initiative aims to promote financial literacy and ethical values among students through interactive and innovative methods, contributing to measurable improvements in their knowledge and behavior.