Kuwait pushes for stricter supply controls to cut waste, improve quality

• Concerns have been raised that some of the food spending may be ‘undeserved’ for beneficiaries under the ‘servants’ category, as it is believed that these individuals may be working for others, have fled their sponsors, or left Kuwait without having their residency canceled.

As part of its extensive oversight to enhance the supply system and reform the subsidy network, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is implementing new measures. Al-Rai newspaper has learned from informed sources that the government is recommending stricter control over supply books to improve service quality and significantly reduce waste.

In this context, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been instructed to coordinate with the Ministry of Interior to automatically link domestic worker sponsorships with ration cards. This will update sponsorship data directly, allowing for an accurate refresh of the ration data system. The goal is to identify and remove ineligible individuals, such as fugitives, those who have left, or those working under different sponsorships, ensuring that the system reflects actual spending more accurately.

Although the insurance system has recently demonstrated high efficiency in spending, one of the ongoing controversies involves the entitlement to all food rations distributed to domestic workers. Concerns have been raised that some of this food spending may be ‘undeserved’ for beneficiaries under the ‘servants’ category, as it is believed that these individuals may be working for others, have fled their sponsors, or left the country without having their residency canceled.

Additionally, among the recommendations for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, derived from public opinion surveys, is the urgent need to coordinate with Kuwait Municipality and relevant authorities to allocate land for constructing multi-storey buildings to serve as points of sale and distribution for food supplies.

The recommendations also include the maintenance and cleaning of supply branch buildings and the modernization of supply centers to improve storage and distribution capacity.

It was also recommended to tighten control over food storage quality and ensure its validity. Additionally, it was suggested to introduce a service for ordering and delivering food supplies to beneficiaries through the website, as well as to explore the possibility of providing car services for ordering and delivery at branches.