By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: After facing the threat of imprisonment for nonpayment of rent and wages due to the long closure of their businesses, some shisha cafe owners gathered at the ministry of health yesterday to protest against the continued closure of their cafes. "We preferred to gather in smaller number so that the ministry wouldn't cause a problem for us. All those who gathered here today and hundreds of other cafe owners are facing bankruptcy and imprisonment after accumulating huge debts. We need a solution for our crisis," Eisa Al-Khamis, owner of a shisha cafe in Qurain, told Kuwait Times.

There are over 5,000 licenses for shisha cafes in Kuwait, employing over 225,000 employees. Most of them are still closed. A few reopened without serving shisha, but they are not even covering their expenses. "We were supposed to reopen in the fourth phase which started on August 18, but unfortunately, shisha cafes were not listed among the activities that restarted. The government issued a law to exempt businesses from paying rent during the pandemic, but this law only applies to state property and not businesses renting in private buildings. So this law does not apply to a majority of cafes, and I'm one of them," added Khamis.

The unpaid rents and salaries have accumulated and Khamis is not able to pay. "I received an eviction order from the landlord as I didn't pay the rent for the past seven months. My rent is KD 4,500, and I have 20 staff working at the cafe whose salaries total more than KD 3,000, but I have no income. All other businesses have opened. If I cannot pay soon, I will go to prison as the landlord is demanding full rent payment for this period," he said.

More problems have followed. "As I couldn't pay the salaries of the staff, the bank blocked my account. Also, because I didn't pay the rent, the cafe license couldn't be renewed after it expired. As a result of the expired license, I cannot renew the residencies of the staff," Khamis explained.

"Some cafes exempted from paying rent still haven't reopened, because if they do, the landlord will demand rent. Some cafes that are not exempt from rent have reopened, but are not covering their expenses, as customers will not come to a shisha cafe that is not serving shisha. I didn't open as I cannot pay the salaries of the staff," Khamis said. He called on the government to find a solution - either to compensate them for their losses or let them reopen with conditions.

Salah Al-Delemi, owner of three cafes in Hawally, is also facing bankruptcy. "On March 2, 2020, we closed the cafes due to the decision of the ministry of health, and were patiently hoping to reopen along with other businesses. We have proposed all possible solutions including taking health precautions such as using disposable hoses, so customers will not reuse the same hose. We also proposed that customers bring their shisha with them, but the ministry refused," he told Kuwait Times.

"Many cafes have shut down indefinitely and handed over the premises to the landlord. Their staff are working illegally in cafes that surreptitiously serve shisha. But we are still respecting the law. Some cafes launched their business two or three months before the pandemic, and were shut down. The majority of these cafes depend on serving shisha - serving food and beverages merely complements the main activity, which is shisha," Delemi pointed out.

"Landlords are demanding rent even though they know we have no income. I have to pay KD 14,000 in monthly rent for my cafes, which is now accumulating. Staff salaries and rent for staff accommodation are accumulating too. The company's file at the ministry of social affairs is blocked, the license of the cafe can't be renewed, the residencies of the employees can't be renewed, and the fines due to the expiry of the license are also accumulating," he complained.

"We are facing bankruptcy and imprisonment as we are not able to pay these huge amounts that are accumulating till today. The government should help us, as they were all the time encouraging Kuwaitis to start small enterprises," concluded Delemi.