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.
 Logo of the Ministry of Interior | |
| Ministerial Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 17 January 1962 |
| Preceding Ministerial Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Kuwait |
| Headquarters | Kuwait City |
| Motto | الله والوطن والامير God, Country and The Emir |
| Minister responsible |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | www.moi.gov.kw |
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 | 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 | 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.