Ministry of Interior
Logo of the Ministry of Interior
Ministerial Department overview
Formed17 January 1962; 62 years ago (1962-01-17)
Preceding Ministerial Department
JurisdictionGovernment of Kuwait
HeadquartersKuwait City
Mottoالله والوطن والامير
God, Country and The Emir
Minister responsible
  • Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah
Child agencies
  • Office of the Minister of Interior
  • Office of the Interior Undersecretary
    • Military Offices of the Assistant Undersecretaries of the Kuwait Police
    • Offices of the Assistant Undersecretaries of the Kuwait Police
Websitewww.moi.gov.kw

The Ministry of Interior (Arabic: وزارة الداخلية الكويتية) is one of the governmental bodies of Kuwait. Its minister in charge is a member of the Cabinet of Kuwait and the current minister of interior is Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah.

Directors of the Directorate of Public Security Force, Directorate of Police, Kuwait Army (1938–1962)

The Kuwait Army split from the Directorate of Public Security Force in 1953; subsequently, the latter merged with Directorate of Police to form Directorate of Public Security and Police in 1959; following the demolition of the defensive wall of Kuwait in 1957 which later formed the Kuwait Ministry of Interior including the Kuwait Police.

Directors of the Directorate of Public Security Force, Directorate of Police and Kuwait Army

# Name Rank Tenure From Tenure Until Note
1 Sheikh Ali Khalifa Al-Abdullah II Al-Sabah
General Commander
 1938 1942 Lead Cavalry Commander during the Battle of Jahra and the Battle of Al-Regeai
2 Sheikh Abdullah Mubarak Al-Sabah
Field Marshal
 1942 1961 General Commander of Kuwait Army and Directorate of Public Security Force (1942-1961) until the two split in 1953.
Founder and patron of the Kuwaiti Army and Kuwaiti Air Force.
Field Marshal of Kuwait Army, Kuwait Air Force (1949-1961) prior to the forming of the Chief of the General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces in (1963)
Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base is named after him.

Directors of the Directorate of Public Security Force and Directorate of Police (1959)

# Name Rank Tenure From Tenure Until Note
1 Sabah Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah
President
 1953 1959 Pioneer in the early formings of the Directorate of Police since 1938.
12th Ruler and 2nd Emir of Kuwait.
2 Saad Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah
General Commander
 1961 1962 General Commander of the Directorate of the Public Security Force and Directorate of Police.
First military officer to head the Kuwait Ministry of Defense since 1964.
First military officer to head the Kuwait Ministry of Interior since 1962.

Deputy Directors of the Directorate of Public Security Force, Directorate of Police and Kuwait Army (1938–1962)

In 1953 and aside of the Police Directorate; the Kuwait Army split from the Directorate of Public Security Force which gave rise to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense following the country's independence.

Deputy Directors of the Directorate of Public Security Force, Directorate of Police and Kuwait Army (1938–1962)

# Name Rank Tenure From Tenure Until Note
1 Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah Deputy Commander 1938 1942
2 Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Deputy Commander 1959 1961 Deputy Commander of the Directorate of Police in 1959.
Deputy Commander of Directorate of Public Security Force and Directorate of Police in 1959.

Deputy Commander of the Kuwait Army (1953–1954)

# Name Rank Tenure From Tenure Until Note
1 Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Captain 1953 1954 Deputy commander of Kuwait Army (1954-1963) partnering Directorate of Public Security Force until 1953.
Founder and patron of Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade in 1960.
1st Chief of the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces in 1963.
The Mubarak al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College is named after him.

List of ministers of interior and deputy prime ministers (1962–present)

The ministers of interior of Kuwait since 1962:[1]

# Name Title Interior Tenure From Interior Tenure Until Note
1 Saad Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 17 January 1962 16 February 1978 14th Ruler and 4th Emir of Kuwait (2006), The Father Emir.

Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences, which is in charge of training personnel of the Kuwait Police, is named after him.[2]

2 Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 16 February 1978 18 March 1978 15th Ruler and 5th Emir of Kuwait (2006–2020).
3 Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 19 March 1978 12 July 1986 Crown Prince of Kuwait (2006–2020), 16th Ruler and 6th Emir of Kuwait.
4 Salem Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 26 January 1988 20 June 1990
5 Sheikh Ahmad Al Homoud Al Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 20 April 1991 17 October 1992
6 Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 13 April 1994 15 October 1996 Ali Al-Sabah Military College, which is in charge of training personnel of the Kuwait Armed Forces, is named after him.
7 Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 15 October 1996 13 July 2003
8 Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 13 July 2003 9 February 2006 Crown Prince of Kuwait (2006–2020).
9 Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 9 February 2006 28 October 2007 Prime Minister of Kuwait (2011–2019).
10 Sheikh Jaber Al Khaled Al Sabah[3] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 28 October 2007 6 February 2011 Chief of the General Staff of Kuwait Armed Forces (1992-1993) following the Gulf War.
11 Sheikh Ahmad Al Homoud Al Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 6 February 2011 4 August 2013
12 Mohammad Al Khalid Al Sabah[4] Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 4 August 2013 10 December 2016
13 Khaled Al Jarrah Al Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 11 December 2016 18 November 2019 (ret) Lieutenant General and Chief of the General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces (2012–2013)
14 Anas Khalid Al Saleh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 17 December 2019 14 December 2020
15 Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah Minister of Interior 14 December 2020 14 November 2021 [5][6] Acting Minister until 27 December 2021
16 Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 28 December 2021 16 February 2022 [7]
17 Dr. Mohammad Abdullatif Al-Fares Minister of Interior (Acting)[8] 17 February 2022 8 March 2022 [9]
18 Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 9 March 2022 24 July 2022 Retired General[10]
19 Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior 27 July 2022[11] 2 October, 2022
20 First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior 16 October 2022 17 January 2024
21 Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah First Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior 17 January 2024 Present Retired military officer

Organization and activities

The major responsibilities of the ministry are public security, and law and order.[12] The major internal security organization under the ministry is the national police.[12] The ministry is also responsible for managing the election process together with the ministry of justice.[13]

The ministry has 48 service centers and 62 police stations in Capital, Farwaniya, Jahra, Hawalli, Ahmadi, and Mubarak Al Kabir regions across Kuwait.[14][15] In 2008, a rehabilitation center was launched in the ministry in order to deal with those Kuwaiti citizens holding radical religious views.[16] The ministry established special teams consisting of members of non-governmental organizations to eliminate vote-buying before the 2012 general elections.[17]

The ministry in 2024 has been working to combat the surge of drugs, holding those accountable for forgery in citizenship and those with dual citizenships, to implement and pass through new traffic laws, building its data base with the biometric system and many other things.

References

  1. ^ "Nine ministers headed Interior Ministry since Kuwaits independence". KUNA. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  2. ^ Official Website Sector of Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences, Kuwait Ministry of Interior, (in Arabic) retrieved 1 April 2015
  3. ^ "Kuwaiti interior minister resigns over custody death". BBC. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Kuwait Names New Oil and Finance Ministers, 7 Ruling Family Members". Naharnet. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  5. ^ "Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled presents cabinet line-up to Kuwait Amir". Kuwait News Agency. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Kuwait Amir issues decree forming new cabinet". Kuwait News Agency. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Kuwait announces formation of new gov't". Kuwait News Agency. 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Amiri Decree issued accepting resignations of Defense, Interior ministers". Kuwait News Agency. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  9. ^ "Kuwait's emir accepts resignations of defence, interior ministers". Reuters. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  10. ^

    History from 1928[edit]

    The early organization which dealt with internal affairs was the Directorate of Public Security Force, formed during the Interwar period in 1938 by Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and mainly taking effect following World War II. Prior to 1938, internal security was dependent on the Defense Security Forces which were headed by Sheikh Ali Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah. Following the Battle of Al-Regeai, command of the Defense and Security Forces was assigned to Shiekh Abdullah Jaber Al-Abdullah II Al-Sabah, who was appointed by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and was commanding from 1928 to 1938.

    Defense and interior command prior to 1961[edit]

    Battle General Commanders of Defense and Security Forces (1928–1938)[edit]

    # Name Rank Tenure From Tenure Until Note
    1 Sheikh Ali Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah General Cavalry Commander 1921 1928 killed during the Battle of Al-Regeai. Ali Al Salem Air Base is named after him.
    2 Sheikh Abdullah Jaber Al-Abdullah II Al-Sabah General Cavalry Commander 1928 1938 pioneer in the early stages of the Military of Kuwait.<ref>[1] Kuwait National Guard Archives, Early Defense Cavaly and Infantry led by Sheikh Abdullah Jaber Al-Abdullah II Al-Sabah; Retrieved 3 March 2015 (Arabic Read)
  11. ^ SNAA, News (27 July 2022). "Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled appointed as Minister of Interior". Instagram. ((cite web)): |first= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ a b "Kuwait-Police and the Criminal Justice System". Mongabay. January 1993. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Assessment of the Electoral Framework" (PDF). Democracy Reporting International. November 2008. Archived from the original (Report) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
  14. ^ "Service Center Locations". Ministry of Interior. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. ^ "Police Stations". Ministry of Interior. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  16. ^ "This day in Kuwait's history". KUNA. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  17. ^ "Kuwait: Interior Minister forms teams to fight vote-buying". Kuwait Times via The Voting News. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
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