‘Mafia obstructing solution; half of the salary goes on rent’

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 22: The housing crisis continues to top the list of crises and problems that citizens have been suffering for years. Despite the billions spent annually on loans and housing projects being built in a number of new areas, about 92,000 citizens are still waiting in a long queue for their turn to obtain their dream house. Even though the problem has led to research and debate, and much ink has been spilled to find out its causes, reasons, and ways to solve it, it still haunts Kuwaitis, as there is now a third generation waiting for its turn.

Al-Seyassah seeks to reach clear answers to a number of questions related to this thorny issue, the most prominent of which is perhaps - How long will the citizens suffer from the consequences of this crisis that forces them to move from one apartment to another, as the number of their family members increase while they are waiting for government housing? Can the entry of the private sector and the local banking sector accelerate the solution to the housing crisis? Is there a solution to this stubborn knot? Are there parties who do not have an interest in resolving the crisis? We pose these questions and more to a number of former housing ministers and those with experience in the field of real estate, as part of the following investigative report. A number of Kuwaiti youth, members, and heads of popular committees in some areas of the country called for seeking assistance from the private sector to solve the housing crisis as soon as possible.

They affirmed that the sector has enormous potential that will enable it to solve the problem and reduce the waiting period, which has now reached about a decade and a half. They said, “There is a mafia that is obstructing the solution to the housing crisis for its personal interests. Citizens are paying half of their salary per month on the rent of the apartments where they live”. They called on the government to increase the rent allowance or speed up the solution to the crisis. A member of the South Sabah Al-Ahmad Residents Committee Ali Sanasiri said the state is building housing cities, but the problem lies in the delay of contracting companies in implementation.

Construction
He indicated that the city, which is supposed to be delivered within three years, remains under construction for seven years, which leads to an accumulation of housing requests and costs the state more rent payments to citizens. Sanasiri said he was surprised by the long wait for citizens to receive residential care, stressing that some married their children before receiving residential care. He stressed the importance of the government and the National Assembly to join forces to find realistic solutions to the long-standing housing crisis. Sanasiri called on MPs to adopt realistic solutions to the crisis instead of making bright promises.

Meanwhile, Adel Al-Ajmi, a member of the Northwestern Sulaibikhat Residents Committee, revealed that he has been waiting to obtain residential care for eight years. He called for reducing the period of residential care to no more than five years. Al-Ajmi said a citizen pays no less than KD 450 per month to rent an apartment, and the rent allowance of KD 150 is not enough in light of the financial load that burdens the citizens. He indicated that there are some who deliberately obstruct the solution to the housing crisis. Al-Ajmi called on the private sector to solve the housing crisis as soon as possible, especially since this sector has enormous potential to solve the problem.

Furthermore, a Kuwaiti citizen Hussein Al-Matar revealed that he has been waiting for housing care since 2016 and that he suffers from paying the rent, which is more than half of his salary. He said he was surprised by the government’s refusal to increase the rent allowance to around KD 300. Al-Matar said he rents an apartment in Jabriya for KD 600, and his salary is around KD 1,000, which means more than half of his salary goes to paying rent. He suggested that the state hand over the apartment to the citizen until he receives housing care, and in this way, it will provide the rent allowance that it pays to the citizen. Also, the Chairman of the Mutlaa Residents Committee Khaled Al-Enezi said, “The solution is not just offering lands, but it requires relying on contracting companies affiliated with the private sector to prepare the infrastructure. Is it reasonable for a citizen to be given a plot in South Saad Al-Abdullah, for example, and then wait for four years until the infrastructure is ready?” Al-Enezi called on the government to increase the rent allowance or speed up the solution to the housing crisis so that citizens do not have to wait a decade and a half to receive housing care, especially since a family with four children needs an apartment with a higher rent, and as the number of children increases, the citizen is forced to go to a larger apartment, and he eventually receives residential care when he approaches retirement.

Uncertainty
He said the government uncertainty further obstructs the solution to the housing crisis, as the minister does not stay in office for more than a year, and when he is replaced, a new housing minister is brought in who draws up new policies and plans for housing. Al-Enezi affirmed his rejection of the idea of a real estate developer, clarifying that he believes it is not suitable for the Kuwaiti people at the present time, especially since real estate development can only take place in building residential towers, and the citizens have not yet accepted the idea of living in an apartment forever. This is especially since some multi-story buildings are subject to negative practices, such as what is happening in the Sawaber complex. He added that there is a mafia that controls decision-making and it is in its interest not to solve the housing crisis.

On a related development, a Kuwaiti citizen Bu Hamad, who has been waiting for housing care for nearly ten years, refused vertical construction as a solution to the housing crisis, irrespective of its specifications, especially since the Constitution refuses to differentiate between one citizen and another in terms of rights and duties. He stated that the continuation of the housing crisis affects those with limited income in light of the increasing cost of rent for citizens waiting for housing care. In addition, a Kuwaiti citizen Bader Al-Baidan explained that he got married in 1983 and waited for residential care for 22 years until he obtained it in 2005. The long waiting period costs the state in rent. The solution to the housing crisis could be through direct contracting between the state and international contracting companies that can complete housing cities in the shortest possible time.

By Najeh Bilal
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff