Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho, the Kenyan man who had been facing a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, is finally free after satisfying all the conditions set by the kingdom’s judicial system.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei confirmed that Munyakho was released at 10 am and is no longer on death row.
The Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh, which has been monitoring the case, also confirmed that Munyakho performed his Umra (minor pilgrimage) shortly after his release.
“Munyakho, the Kenyan national who has been on death row in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is free as of 10 am today pursuant to the full satisfaction of judicial decree,” Singóei said.
“We shall provide further details regarding his arrival in the country. I commend all who have offered their support towards securing this outcome,” he added.
The government is expected to share more information soon regarding Munyakho’s return to Kenya.
Munyakho had been working in Saudi Arabia as a warehouse manager when he was sentenced to death by the sword following a fatal altercation with a Yemeni colleague in April 2011. The colleague later succumbed to injuries sustained during the fight.
Thereafter, Stephen Munyakho was tried for murder and received a five-year imprisonment, but the Yemeni family later appealed the sentence in Shariah Court, citing the ‘reciprocal right to retaliate’.
Initially, he was jailed for manslaughter, but an appeal by the deceased’s family saw him handed a death sentence after charges were upgraded to murder.
The case, heard in 2014, overturned the ruling of a five-year sentence to a death sentence by the sword.
“However, this could not be done at the moment because a child (5 years) from the Yemeni family was involved. He was supposed to turn 18 to have a say on the execution of his father’s killer,” Kweyu said.
After negotiations, the victim’s family agreed to the Diya or blood money option—a financial compensation under Islamic law paid to the victim or heirs of the victim.
The initially agreed amount was 10 million Saudi Arabian Riyals (SAR) (equivalent to Ksh 400 million).
However, further negotiation between the two families would see the deceased family reduce the “blood money” to 3.5 million SAR (equivalent to Ksh. 150,000,000 at that time), which must be paid before his release.
Munyakho was originally scheduled for execution on May 15, 2024, but the authorities extended the deadline to July 26, 2024, and then further postponed it by four months to November 26, 2024.
The talks involved Kenyan diplomats, religious leaders, and the victim’s family in a bid to secure clemency.
