Al-Roumi proposes mandatory Municipal approval for construction licenses

Municipal Council member Eng. Farah Al-Roumi has submitted a proposal calling for the establishment of an electronic link between the Kuwait Municipality and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to strengthen regulatory oversight of construction contracting activities.

Under the proposal, according to Al-Rai daily report, no contracting license should be issued by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry unless the applicant has first obtained approval from the Kuwait Municipality.

Al-Roumi explained that the current process requires companies and institutions to apply for a municipal classification appropriate to the scale of their operations and submit a bank guarantee in line with the assigned classification level — a key mechanism to ensure accountability and protect citizens.

She noted, however, that many companies operate with commercial licenses issued by the Ministry without undergoing the municipal classification process, effectively bypassing municipal oversight.

This, she warned, limits the municipality’s ability to hold violators accountable and undermines citizens’ ability to seek recourse for damages, as no financial guarantees are held by the municipality in such cases.

Al-Roumi’s proposal aims to close this regulatory loophole and ensure that all construction contracting entities operate within a unified framework that enforces classification, compliance, and accountability.