Building haris Mafia

Keeping a building in Kuwait neat and clean is a job usually performed by the caretaker (haris). But increasingly some caretakers are hiring out their more menial duties for small sums, paying casual laborers to take out the trash and wash the cars. Fadel, a Bangladeshi cleaner, washes 60 cars a day to add to his monthly income. “I usually start washing cars from 1am because I have to clean them all for KD 5 per month each,” he said. But the KD 5 will not go straight to the hands of the cleaner. “KD 3 will be for me and KD 2 is for the haris,” he said.

The man said he accepts cleaning and washing cars for extra money since he only makes KD 100 from his regular job as a janitor at a cleaning company in Shuwaikh. “I have two kids back in Bangladesh and I only have a KD 100 salary.

 

This amount is not enough, so I took this cleaning and washing job to add to my monthly income,” he said. Many cleaning tasks in buildings in Salmiya, Khaitan, Farwaniya and Hawally are usually done by Bangladeshi cleaners instead of the building caretakers. And why not, since the haris gets a considerable amount from the tenants in addition to his salary. “I collect KD 5 monthly for throwing the garbage. If they have a car, I charge them an additional KD 5,” one haris told the Kuwait Times.

 

In a 10 storey building with four tenants on each floor, total income for the haris can reach KD 400 in monthly payments. Some tenants see the haris as the boss of their building, like Jose, a Filipino who lives in Salmiya. “My haris will just sit in the corner and smoke shisha, waiting till the end of the month for the monthly rent of the tenants and his KD10 for garbage collection and his share from a Bangladeshi cleaner. He also gets his regular monthly salary from his sponsor, plus his stay in the building is also free. He is the king of the building,” he said.

 

Building caretakers typically earn between KD 120 to KD 150 as well as free rent. Some also earn extra cash when new tenants desperate for a good flat in crowded areas offer incentives and some will wash cars themselves. An Egyptian haris noted: “If I will not clean cars, I will not make extra money. So I wash about 20 cars and get KD 5 each from the tenants. That way I am earning extra.” The life of a haris can be both easy and difficult.

 

They are the first person tenants call when there are problems and that can be at any hour of the day or night. They are also constantly in demand to help with building issues including maintenance and upkeep and the perennial problems of parking.- Kuwait Times

 

This is a little bit on what the haris does, I knew they made money but I had no idea it was that much. That's not including all of the side jobs and business they do under the blind eye of the building owner. It's also disturbing when the building haris offers his hand in marriage to single women when they give them any attention or ask for help. Someone needs to regulate their corrupt activities!