KUWAIT CITY, Aug 18: As of Sunday morning, several ministries and government agencies in Kuwait have begun implementing the Civil Service Commission’s (CSC) directive regarding the flexible fingerprint procedure, also known as the “third fingerprint,” to verify employee presence during official working hours. At the Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, employees demonstrated their commitment to this new protocol by using fingerprint devices two hours after the start of the workday to record their presence.

Acting Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water, Eng. Haitham Al-Ali, issued a circular mandating all employees to confirm their presence at the workplace during official hours, in line with the Civil Service Bureau’s decision.

Similarly, employees at Kuwait University and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training began adhering to the “presence fingerprint” requirement on the first working day, following the “third fingerprint” schedule two hours after the initial entry fingerprint, with a 60-minute window to complete the procedure. Both institutions have committed to enforcing the Civil Service Commission’s directive, which took effect on Sunday, August 18, across all state ministries.

However, some ministries and government agencies have not yet communicated the Civil Service Commission’s directive to their employees, leaving them uncertain. For example, employees at the Ministry of Health are still awaiting a circular from the Undersecretary of the Ministry to commence the third flexible fingerprint procedure.

At the Ministry of Education, the fingerprint devices experienced a low turnout from employees at the start of the designated fingerprinting time. The availability of fingerprint devices on most floors of the Ministry of Education building and in parking lots has facilitated the process and helped reduce crowding.

Additionally, the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs issued a circular obligating all employees of the Ministry of Works and the Public Authority for Roads to comply with the third flexible fingerprint procedure, as per the Civil Service Commission’s directive. This morning, the Ministry of Works saw a significant number of employees utilizing fingerprint devices to record their presence.