Kenyan national Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho has been released from death row in Saudi Arabia after more than a decade of incarceration, following a successful campaign led by his mother and supported by diplomatic and religious interventions.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei confirmed the release, stating that Munyakho was freed at 10 a.m. under a judicial decree and has since performed the minor Muslim pilgrimage, Umrah, in Mecca.
“Steve Abdukareem Munyakho… is free as of 10am today pursuant to the full satisfaction of judicial decree,” Sing’oei posted on X .
Munyakho was convicted of murder in 2011 after a fatal altercation with a Yemeni colleague at a Red Sea resort where he worked as a warehouse manager.
Initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter, his conviction was later upgraded to murder, carrying the death penalty under Saudi law.
His mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, led a tireless campaign to save her son, appealing to the Kenyan government and international organisations.
Her efforts culminated in a $1 million blood money settlement paid earlier this year by the Kenyan government and the Muslim World League.
“This satisfaction is going to be with me for a while.This time, it is true. The ambassador in Saudi Arabiahas confirmed it.”
His return to Kenya is expected soon, with further details to be announced by the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
