MoI, MoD defend house evictions

Kuwait: The interior and defense ministries defended on Monday the withdrawal of hundreds of houses leased to mostly stateless people known as bedoons, saying the action was in line with rules and regulations. The two ministries last week withdrew just under 700 houses that were leased on long-term basis to mostly bedoons serving as military personnel in the two ministries.

The two ministries however said in a statement Monday that the action was based on rules and regulations and because of violations committed by the tenants. The statement said that such houses, normally leased for nominal rents, are withdrawn when the Kuwaiti beneficiary gets a government house and when the military service of the non-Kuwaiti tenant ends.

It added that a team from the two ministries inspected the houses and found that a number of tenants had subleased those houses in a clear violation of the rules. It said a number of other violations were cited. This prompted the ministry to withdraw the houses in order to give them to others on the waiting list. About 400 of the houses, known as “popular houses”, a term referred to low-budget homes, are in Sulaibiya, and the rest are in Taima, a suburb of Jahra.

Meanwhile, HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah issued a decree on Sunday accepting the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Dr Emad Al-Ateeqi. Finance Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment Noura Al-Fassam has been appointed as acting oil minister, replacing Ateeqi, the Amiri Diwan added in a statement.