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Minister of Justice Counselor Nasser Al-Sumait disclosed the latest Kuwaitization benchmarks for the judiciary during a press briefing that followed his tour of electronic written examinations at Kuwait University. Al-Sumait inspected tests taken by graduates from the 2024-2025 academic year who applied for junior legal researcher posts that can lead to appointments as public prosecutors. The minister affirmed that the judicial authority maintains the full capability to handle its responsibilities efficiently and competently with national staff. He accompanied the visit with Kuwait University President Dr Dina Al Milim and other judicial officials.
According to Al-Sumait the current Kuwaitization rate within the judiciary stands at 87 percent and is scheduled to rise to 92 percent by September 30 2027 before reaching 100 percent by September 30 2030. Kuwait Times reported that Kuwaitization stands at 87 percent and is set to reach 92 percent by 2027. The minister described the full nationalization goal as both a sovereign right and a key national objective.
This trajectory follows completion of the second phase of the replacement plan that ended the secondment of 82 non-Kuwaiti judicial members and lifted the rate to 87 percent as of September 30 2026 a July 2026 announcement from the minister confirmed. The progress implements directives from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to strengthen reliance on Kuwaiti competencies across the justice system. A related ministerial decision also equalized opportunities for male and female applicants in the public prosecution selection process with 855 citizens having applied and 632 qualifying to sit the test.
The updates align with Decree-Law No 80 of 2026 the Judicial Organization Law published in August which sets a maximum five-year window to complete Kuwaitization of the judiciary and public prosecution Arab Times reported. That legislation repeals a 1990 law restructures the Supreme Judicial Council and regulates senior positions while permitting electronic hearings and unifying legal principles across chambers. Such measures aim to accelerate the advancement of qualified Kuwaitis while preserving standards of competence and seniority.
Earlier steps included the full Kuwaitization of the General Department of Experts effective in August 2026 which covered expert engineers accountants and legal researchers the ministry stated. Subsequent phases will focus on equitable work redistribution periodic staff rotation performance enhancements and complete digitization of services. These actions build on legislative reforms that have already modernized notification systems and reduced court backlogs according to ministry figures.
Public Authority for Civil Information data from late 2024 placed non-Kuwaitis at roughly 23 percent of the overall government workforce highlighting the scale of nationalization efforts across public entities. The judiciary’s phased approach with clear interim targets offers a template for similar initiatives in other sectors. Additional recruitment rounds for junior legal researchers are scheduled to open in November to sustain the inflow of new Kuwaiti talent.
