Update certificates: Kuwait sets August deadline for Kenyans, foreign workers

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Kuwait's Ministry of Information issued administrative circular No. 2026/25 directing all employees to update academic qualifications by August 27, 2026

- The directive covers both citizens and residents, including Kenyan and other foreign workers in government and private sector entities

- Employees who fail to comply risk legal and administrative consequences under the Civil Service Commission regulations

Kuwait's Ministry of Information has issued a final warning to all employees across government and private sector entities, directing them to update their academic qualification records through the ministry's approved electronic portal before the close of business on Thursday, August 27, 2026.

The directive, issued under administrative circular No. 2026/25, applies to all workers, including Kenyan expatriates and other foreign nationals employed in Kuwait.

Those who fail to comply within the stipulated period will face legal and administrative measures in accordance with the Civil Service Commission's rules and regulations.

What Employees Must Do

Workers who have not yet completed the update are required to upload their academic documents through the Ministry of Information's designated electronic system.

For employees whose qualifications were obtained outside Kuwait, procedures for applying for certificate equivalency are available through the Ministry of Higher Education, including step-by-step guides accessible via the Sahel application.

A high-level committee, headed by the Legal Advice and Legislation Department, is overseeing the verification exercise.

The committee draws representatives from five government bodies: the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, and the Civil Service Commission.

Kuwait's Crackdown on Fraudulent Certificates

The deadline forms part of a wider national campaign to eliminate forged academic credentials in the Gulf state.

The Committee for Examining the Academic Certificates of Employees in Government and Private Sector Entities is driving the initiative, with the aim of verifying the authenticity of qualifications, the field of specialisation, and the accreditation status of each credential.

The Public Authority for Manpower has also deployed an automated verification system to screen academic qualifications submitted with work permit applications, covering expatriates, GCC nationals, and bidoon workers.

Under Article 259 of Kuwaiti Penal Code No. 16/1960, anyone found to have forged an academic or professional certificate and used it knowingly faces a prison term of up to five years, a fine not exceeding KD 5,000 (approximately KSh 2.2 million), or both penalties.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.