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A Kenyan man who spent more than a decade on death row in Saudi Arabia has been freed, following years of diplomatic efforts and a determined campaign by his family to prevent his execution, a Kenyan foreign ministry official has confirmed.
Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho was released through a “judicial decree,” according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Korir Sing’oei, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs. No further details were provided about the legal mechanism behind his release.
His mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, expressed overwhelming relief upon receiving the news.
“I rolled on the floor,” she told local media, describing her emotional reaction. “This satisfaction is going to be with me for a while,” The Star newspaper quoted her as saying. “This time, it is true. The ambassador [in Saudi Arabia] has confirmed it,” she added.
Munyakho, who moved to Saudi Arabia in his early 20s, had been working as a warehouse manager at a resort near the Red Sea when a fatal altercation occurred in 2011. He was accused of killing a Yemeni colleague, a crime that carries the death penalty under Saudi law.
According to Ms Kweyu, her son was stabbed first with a letter opener during a dispute and acted in self-defence by grabbing the same object and retaliating, leading to the colleague’s death.
Initially, Munyakho was sentenced to five years for manslaughter, but that was overturned in 2014 after an appeal upgraded the charge to murder, resulting in a death sentence.
Under Islamic law in Saudi Arabia, the death penalty may be commuted if the victim’s family accepts blood money, or dihya, as compensation. After prolonged negotiations, the victim’s relatives agreed to a settlement.
Kenyan media reported that the $1 million (£742,000) payment was made earlier this year by a combination of support from the Kenyan government and the Muslim World League, a Saudi-based charity.
Munyakho’s execution had been delayed several times due to diplomatic interventions by Kenyan officials and the unrelenting advocacy of his mother.
Following his release, Sing’oei noted that Munyakho had completed Umrah, the minor Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
However, it remains unclear when he will return home to Kenya.
