KUWAIT: Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Meshari announced the launch of three housing packages totaling 15,000 units for real estate developers in Mutlaa, Saad Al-Abdullah and Jaber Al-Ahmad. The announcement was made during the launch of a promotional campaign at Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center to qualify participating companies.
Al-Meshari highlighted that the initiative is part of the government’s partnership with the private sector to address Kuwait’s housing needs, emphasizing the sector’s role as a key partner in national development. He stressed that the first three projects should be approached collaboratively and noted recent efforts to amend important policies and laws, including Law No. 118 of 2023 and the upcoming real estate finance law, which is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
The Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) conducted comprehensive feasibility studies for these projects, ensuring proper site selection and preliminary designs to guarantee viability. Al-Meshari underscored the Authority’s objectives to reduce the housing waiting period, increase home ownership rates, and maintain high urban standards in modern residential areas.
He added that PAHW will soon commission three consulting firms to design infrastructure for upcoming housing cities, including Sabriya, Nawaf Al-Ahmad and Al-Khiran, encompassing approximately 170,000 plots. Al-Meshari noted that parallel projects are also in preparation, with additional offerings under review by the Council of Ministers. “The real estate development program requires a robust governance mechanism to enable swift decision-making and project activation,” he said, noting ongoing institutional restructuring to align with Law No. 118 of 2023. He added that amendments to the law, alongside the real estate finance law and related legislation, will be reviewed every four years to ensure policy alignment.
Al-Meshari described the 10-year plan to establish 170,000 housing units as ambitious yet achievable, with close coordination with the Council of Ministers on supporting infrastructure, including electricity, water and urban development. He confirmed that the projects announced today will be awarded next year, with implementation to follow, and praised the strong turnout of participating companies, including firms from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He emphasized that the current offerings serve as a pilot to assess the Real Estate Developer Law, which will inform the future approach to delivering 170,000 units while ensuring diversification as a central pillar of Kuwait’s housing strategy.
During the forum, Eng Ahmed Al-Ansari, Director of the Investment Department at PAHW, and Kawthar Jamal, Head of the Asset and Risk Management Department, presented detailed analyses of current and future housing demand. They noted that existing applications total approximately 105,000 and are projected to rise to 197,244 by 2035, with an annual increase of nearly 3 percent. The Authority’s plans aim to cover 180,000 applications through distributed projects, including the 5,000 units offered in the current investment opportunities, alongside 10,000 units in Al-Sulaibiya and Taima, with remaining units in South Saad Al-Abdullah and Al-Mirqab. — KUNA
