Kuwait Abolishes Government Performance Monitoring Agency in Decree 59/2026
Decree 59/2026 dissolves Kuwait’s Government Performance Monitoring Agency, transfers its functions to the Cabinet Secretariat and reassigns permanent staff to the Civil Service Bureau.
Kuwait’s government officially abolished the Government Performance Monitoring Agency under Decree No. 59 of 2026, published in the official gazette on Sunday, April 19, 2026. The decree revokes the earlier establishing law — Decree No. 346 of 2007 — and assigns the agency’s responsibilities to the General Secretariat of the Cabinet. The move signals an administrative reorganization affecting oversight functions and staff deployment across the public sector.
Decree 59/2026 and legal repeal
Decree No. 59 of 2026 explicitly cancels Decree No. 346 of 2007, which had created the Government Performance Monitoring Agency. The repeal was published in the official gazette “Al-Kuwait Today” on April 19, 2026, making the decision a matter of public record. The language of the decree frames the change as a transfer of authority rather than an abolition of the functions themselves.
The text further specifies that the General Secretariat of the Cabinet will assume the tasks previously performed by the agency. It also grants the Cabinet discretion to delegate any of those functions to one or more entities as it sees fit. That flexibility gives the government scope to redesign where and how performance monitoring will operate within the executive branch.
Transfer of responsibilities to the Cabinet Secretariat
Under the decree, the Cabinet Secretariat is charged with directly exercising the duties formerly carried out by the monitoring agency. This transfers coordination, oversight and performance-tracking responsibilities into an office already central to inter-ministerial coordination. The Cabinet may, however, assign discrete tasks to other ministries or bodies, allowing for modular delegation of specific monitoring roles.
Officials expect the move to streamline reporting lines by situating performance monitoring within the Secretariat that supports the prime minister and the Cabinet. Proponents argue this can enhance policy coherence and speed up administrative responses. Critics warn that centralizing responsibilities could reduce the independence of monitoring functions unless complementary safeguards are established.
Staff transfers and role of the Civil Service Bureau
The decree orders the transfer of permanent employees of the dissolved agency to the Civil Service Bureau (Diwan al-Khidma al-Madaniyyah) as an immediate administrative measure. Those permanent staff members are to be redistributed across government entities while retaining their current ranks and salaries. The decision stresses continuity of employment and preservation of accrued rights for career civil servants.
The Civil Service Bureau will manage reassignment logistics and ensure that transferred employees receive placements commensurate with their grades. The bureau’s involvement underscores the administration’s intent to absorb personnel into the broader public sector rather than terminate long-term employees. The procedural details and timelines for these reallocations are expected to be spelled out in implementing decisions from the Cabinet.
Termination of temporary and contracted workers
The decree also stipulates the termination of temporary and contracted staff who had been engaged by the monitoring agency, effective from the date the decree takes effect. The language in the decree clarifies that such terminations are to proceed “without prejudice to the procedures stipulated in this regard,” indicating that labor and contractual law will guide any severance or claims. This clause leaves room for established legal remedies and administrative procedures for affected workers.
Labor advocates and representatives of temporary employees may seek clarification on compensation, notice periods and possibilities for re-engagement with other state bodies. Ministries or the Cabinet could opt to recruit some former contract staff for specialized roles if their expertise remains in demand. Until implementing regulations are published, the precise package of rights and obligations for dismissed temporary workers remains subject to administrative interpretation.
Potential impact on public sector oversight and reform
The reorganization raises questions about the future structure of performance monitoring across Kuwait’s government and how reform agendas will be tracked. Shifting responsibilities to the Cabinet Secretariat could improve inter-ministerial coordination, but it may also concentrate authority in an office that reports to the executive. Observers note that maintaining transparent performance indicators and independent evaluation mechanisms will be critical to preserving accountability.
Analysts say the change could be part of a broader administrative review aimed at consolidating overlapping functions and reducing institutional proliferation. International partners and oversight bodies typically look for clear reporting lines, published metrics and independent audits to ensure that performance monitoring remains robust. How the Cabinet and Civil Service Bureau implement the decree will determine whether the reorganization strengthens or weakens public-sector performance oversight.
Implementation steps and expected timeline
The decree empowers the Cabinet to take any necessary decisions to operationalize the transfer of duties and the reassignment of staff. Officials will likely issue an implementing resolution detailing timelines, reassignment procedures and any delegation of functions to other entities. The Civil Service Bureau will begin internal processes to receive permanent staff and allocate them across ministries and agencies according to grade and entitlement.
Observers expect a phased implementation, with initial administrative transfers completed within weeks and fuller functional reassignments taking several months as directives are finalized. Affected employees and ministries should monitor official communications from the Cabinet Secretariat and the Civil Service Bureau for instructions. Transparency in the transitional arrangements will be essential to reduce disruption to ongoing monitoring work and public services.
The dissolution of the agency marks a notable administrative shift in Kuwait’s public administration, transferring core monitoring responsibilities into the Cabinet’s orbit while preserving the status of permanent employees through the Civil Service Bureau.
