The First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah, issued Ministerial Decision No. 895 of 2026, amending Decision No. 81 of 1976. It establishes thirty-seven community service roles across fifteen government bodies as substitutes for imprisonment in traffic cases, effective from publication in Kuwait Al-Youm.
The three alternatives
- Unpaid community service.
- Awareness, rehabilitation, vocational, psychological and behavioural programmes.
- Repair of the damage or financial compensation for it.
Who supervises, and what if you do not comply
The General Directorate for the Execution of Judicial Rulings supervises, and anyone who fails to comply is returned to court to serve the original prison term. The fifteen bodies include Interior, Health, Education, Social Affairs, Islamic Affairs, Electricity Water and Renewable Energy, Public Works, Commerce and Industry, the Environment Public Authority, Kuwait Municipality, PAAET, the Public Authority for Manpower, the Public Authority for Agriculture and Fish Resources and Oil, alongside public-benefit associations.
What has not been specified
No published source says which traffic offences qualify. It rests on the judge’s discretion in cases where imprisonment would otherwise be the penalty.
Photo: a pedestrian bridge over a highway in Kuwait. Photo by Irvin calicut, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: Ministerial Decision No. 895 of 2026, via Al-Rai and Arab Times, July 2026.
Kuwait One, once a week.
The most useful stories we published this week, in your inbox.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
