31/10/2020
38191 times read
31/10/2020
38191 times read
Kuwaitization policy reviewed annually
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 31: Deputy Director-General for Financial and Administrative Affairs at Kuwait Municipality Fouad Al- Rujaib revealed that the number of employees in the municipality is 7,255, of whom only five percent are non-Kuwaitis, after excluding jobs that cannot be occupied by Kuwaitis, such as grave diggers and corpse washers, reports Al-Qabas daily. He stressed that application of the Kuwaitization policy is being done annually in accordance with the percentage specified by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), affirming that the municipality will continue to adhere to the replacement rates until the job is completed 100 percent.
Highlighted
Al-Rujaib highlighted the keenness of the executive body to adhere to the rules of budget implementation and take serious measures to rationalize spending, identify aspects of spending and seek communication and coordination with the regulatory authorities through continuous meetings. He affirmed the determination to apply the values of integrity, transparency and awareness in issuing the necessary circulars, and to remedy the insufficiency of internal auditing to ensure safety of financial and administrative audits in the future.
This is in addition to responding to the State Audit Bureau’s notes within the specified dates, and working to avoid them as quickly as possible, with continuous cooperation to facilitate the task of the bureau’s representatives and the financial oversight body to settle notes. Al-Rujaib stated that the municipality has implemented the IPOS system to link the points of sale (POS) and the revenue program. A plan and some proposals have been submitted to maximize the revenues of the services offered by the municipality through the various departments and centers.
Standardize
This is to standardize fees, and add new conditions and controls to the qualification requirements, in a manner that guarantees the technical and financial solvency of the advanced companies to enter into investment bids for billboard sites. The municipality is proceeding with steady and deliberate steps to gradually maximize its revenues, as its strategy aims at achieving financial self-sufficiency in its budget without the need for funds from the State Treasury.
This is by organizing auctions for advertising investment, printing and imaging services, as well as new procedures consistent with the next phase, direction and plan. The steps include assignment of the task of reserving discarded cars to the private sector, by proposing the process of transferring and seizing discarded cars and scrapes in a bid for the private sector, and studying the building percentage fees in the investment.
Al-Rujaib revealed that the municipality’s budget for the year 2019/2020 amounted to about KD 202 million, and the revenues for the year 2018/2019 amounted to about KD 43 million. Regarding the amounts of insurance for the camps and the candidates’ campaigns, he said that spring camps are set up at the specified sites according to the coordinates contained in the plans, provided that public service sites are established close to the camping sites. Al-Rujaib disclosed that KD 50 paid to the municipality is not refundable, and KD 300 is the temporary insurance, adding that procedures for retrieval are followed after the end of the camping season, and a camp cleanliness certificate must be obtained from the relevant department.
Al-Rujaib revealed that the work in the financial and administrative sector is 100 percent automated for electronic correspondence between departments and sectors. As for financial documents such as invoices, work orders, payment certificates, guarantees and the release of guarantees, he said the original document must be attached with the letters of exchange received from the sectors and departments that supervise implementation contracts, consultations, leases, maintenance and supplies of all kinds.
Stressed
Al-Rujaib stressed that the aim of preparing the employee guide is to develop the employee’s performance and to pave way for the use of automated systems for the forms attached to the guide for each incentive reward or functional and administrative actions through electronic correspondence and approval of the direct official, followed by approval of the transaction and transfer to the concerned department to keep pace with the automated development. Al-Rujaib said, “The COVID-19 crisis that Kuwait is facing has demonstrated the importance of the pivotal, vital and necessary role played by the municipality in activating the emergency crisis plan with its proper functioning through its executive and supervisory agencies.
This is done through a series of field procedures for teams of audit departments, follow-up services, removal departments and emergency teams in the six governorates. The measures also include raising the level of general cleaning services, following up on cleaning companies, training and qualifying national cadres of employees and volunteers to operate and use the mechanisms for cleaning, working on a mechanism for removing waste, following up the sterilization of containers, isolating the housing of the cleaners as a precaution to ensure that infection is not transmitted to them, amending dates for removing the garbage, and entering the compressors after the issuance of the partial lockdown decision.
Controls have been put in place in the cemeteries to organize the funeral rites there in line with preventive measures to avoid spread of the COVID-19 virus in coordination with the Ministry of Health, and develop instructions and means of sterilization and prevention.” Fouad Al- Rujaib said, “After the spread of the COVID-19 throughout the world, no country remained without announcing its negative impact due to the pandemic. Therefore, many companies and sectors were affected by the measures taken by the state to limit the spread of the virus. Our Cabinet issued many decisions, including coordinating the Ministry of Finance and other government agencies to reduce the budget for the 2020/2021 fiscal year by 20 percent”.