Kuwait stands tantalisingly on the threshold of a new openness in government which could root out corruption. But there are obstacles in the way.
When the National Assembly in 2020 enacted the Kuwaiti Right to Access Information Act, it gave hope that nepotism, bribery and other crimes would come more under the spotlight and the perpetrators held to account. The Act gives individuals (including foreigners) and organisations the right to obtain information held by public entities.
It is the result of pressure by organisations such as Kuwait Transparency Society (KTS), which had been pressing for this law since 2013. With its enactment, Kuwait joined 119 other nations with such laws and became the seventh Arab nation to adopt a specialised regulatory framework, following Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco.
