Jenan Boushehri, who was forced to resign as Minister of Public Works after exposing corruption and manipulation by contracting companies during the 2017 rain disaster, has once again raised concerns about the awarding of road contracts in Kuwait.
In a 2023 tweet, she revealed that she had submitted a parliamentary question to the then Minister of Public Works regarding a statement that the ministry would contract foreign companies for road repairs without requiring a local agent. After further investigation, she discovered that all the selected companies had been operating in Kuwait for years and had local agents. She then asked the Minister, Amani Bouqammaz, for the names of these agents. However, despite waiting for over two months, she never received a response, and with the dissolution of the National Assembly, her question went unanswered, and the proposed project was abandoned. Recently, Jenan tweeted again, sharing her concern that road repair contracts would soon be awarded to local companies, some of which were implicated in the 2017 rain disaster.
These companies had been previously banned from bidding but were now allowed to participate after their suspensions were mysteriously lifted. She urged the new Minister of Public Works, Noura Al-Mashaan, to avoid prioritizing the lowest bid in awarding contracts, especially when the company in question had a poor track record. In an interesting turn of events, it seemed there was an unspoken alignment between Jenan and the Ministry of Public Works.
The ministry had already recommended to the Tender Committee that companies with a history of poor performance, especially those involved in controversial road projects, be excluded from bidding. The ministry also advised against awarding contracts based solely on the lowest price, citing past problems related to poor execution, lack of expertise, and even some companies’ complete lack of experience in road construction. Despite these recommendations, the Tender Committee’s final decision was contrary to the ministry’s guidance. Contracts worth 375 million Kuwaiti dinars were awarded to companies based on the lowest price, disregarding the ministry’s technical input.
The ministry expressed its frustration, as a minor increase in the budget -- just over a million dinars --could have allowed for the exclusion of unqualified companies and the awarding of contracts to more capable firms. Many, including Jenan and other observers, believe the Tender Committee should have given greater weight to the Ministry of Public Works’ legal and technical opinions, particularly since the ministry is tasked with identifying companies that have caused harm to public funds or performed poorly on previous projects. In such cases, the ministry has the right to exclude such companies from future tenders.
The ministry now faces the responsibility of either delaying the final award to review the matter or risk continuing to work with companies that were responsible for the previous destruction of the country’s roads. These same companies, after having made millions from their initial work, now stand to make millions more to fix the very problems they caused, a situation that raises serious concerns about the protection of public funds.
There is a widespread sense of frustration over the ongoing issue of road quality in Kuwait. On the one hand, the public is desperate to see the problem resolved, as it has led to significant losses, delays, and widespread dissatisfaction. On the other hand, many believe that the government must proceed with caution when awarding contracts, especially after recent revelations about the questionable practices of certain companies. In any case, the hope is that the Ministry of Public Works will play a more active role this time in ensuring proper oversight of the companies involved in road repair projects.
Effective and honest supervision is seen as the strongest defense against corruption, but questions remain about whether the ministry and the Public Authority for Roads and Land Transport (PART), have the capacity and expertise to provide the level of oversight needed to manage these companies effectively. Finally, attention is now turning to the role of Essam Al Marzouq, whose reputation for sincerity and integrity has been well established. Many are calling on him to clarify the confusion surrounding the Tender Committee’s decision to insist on awarding the contract based on the lowest price, despite the Ministry of Public Works’ warnings. If these concerns are true, his intervention may be necessary to prevent further damage to the country’s infrastructure and to restore public trust in the tendering process.
By Ahmad alsarraf Former MP
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