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Minister of Justice Counselor Nasser Al-Sumait announced on September 13 that Kuwait’s judiciary stands at 87 percent Kuwaitization and is on track to reach full nationalization by September 30, 2030, ahead of the five-year legal requirement. Speaking on the sidelines of an inspection tour for electronic written exams at Kuwait University for junior legal researcher applicants, Al-Sumait outlined plans to increase the rate to 92 percent by September 30, 2027, through an annual replacement of 15 percent of remaining positions. This progress follows the completion of the second phase earlier in 2026, which ended the secondment of 82 non-Kuwaiti judicial members and aligned with directives to empower national cadres.
Al-Sumait affirmed the accelerated timeline in his remarks, stating that the ministry is working to meet the goal within the country’s Kuwaitization plan for the judiciary. “I affirm that we will achieve full Kuwaitization of the judiciary ahead of schedule. By Sept 30, 2030, the judiciary will be 100 percent Kuwaitis,” he asserted. He described the initiative as a sovereign imperative that carries a direct mandate from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The justice minister stressed that no less than a fully national judiciary would suffice, pointing to the existing members’ ability to manage the system with efficiency and competence. “We will not accept anything less than a 100 percent national judiciary,” Al-Sumait said, underscoring the Amir’s focus on the judicial system as integral to national security. Kuwaiti judges already number among the highest per capita globally, with 32 per 10,000 people, though systemic issues rather than staffing levels have driven recent reforms.
Implementation of a new judicial law and procedural changes have cleared 111,000 cases while contributing to lower crime rates across the board, according to Al-Sumait. The August 2026 decree-law modernizes court operations with online hearings, earlier resolution of conflicting rulings and faster promotions for local judges, measures that have reduced case volumes by 20 percent overall and Cassation appeals by 40 percent. Legal experts have credited these steps with alleviating years of backlogs that once exceeded 81,000 appeals at the Court of Cassation.
This judiciary drive forms part of wider Kuwaitization efforts within the Ministry of Justice, following the full nationalization of the General Department of Experts in August 2026 and the planned completion for the Public Authority for Minors’ Affairs by June of that year. Judicial support roles, including clerks and administrative coordinators, are scheduled for full Kuwaitization by the end of 2026 after the termination of 54 non-Kuwaiti contracts beginning in November. The phased strategy ensures genuine readiness through training to maintain uninterrupted court functions.
Data from mid-2026 shows that Kuwaitis fill 80.1 percent of the national workforce in the public sector, where they represent about 75.6 percent of all government employees, according to a Central Statistical Bureau assessment. Public administration and defense alone employ nearly 78 percent of working Kuwaitis, highlighting the sector’s role as the primary destination for national talent. The ongoing replacement in the judiciary aligns with government initiatives launched in 2018 to expand Kuwaiti participation across state institutions.
