By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Kenyan citizen on death row in Saudi Arabia over murder charges for more than a decade has been released following a prolonged campaign to save him from execution, Kenyan Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Korir Sing’oei said.
Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho was released under a “judicial decree”, Sing’oei posted on X, without giving further details.
He was initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter in 2011, but an appeal changed that to a murder conviction in 2014, bearing the death sentence.
Munyakho’s mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, told local media that she “rolled on the floor” when she heard of his release.
Munyakho was working in Saudi Arabia when he was convicted of killing a Yemeni colleague, an offence carrying capital punishment. After protracted negotiations however, the victim’s family agreed to accept “blood money”.
Saudi Arabia is governed by Islamic law, which states that the death sentence can be commuted if the deceased’s family agrees to accept “blood money”, known as dihya, as compensation.
Kenyan media reported that the family had received $1m (£742,000) earlier this year in a payment made by the government and a charity, the Muslim World League.
Munyakho’s execution was postponed multiple times, following interventions by Kenyan officials.
His mother waged a long and desperate campaign to save him.
“This satisfaction is going to be with me for a while,” the Star newspaper quoted her as saying after her son’s release.
“This time, it is true. The ambassador [in Saudi Arabia] has confirmed it,” she added.
Munyakho went to work in Saudi Arabia in his early 20s. He was 14 years ago a warehouse manager at a Red Sea tourist resort.
Ms Kweyu in interaction with BBC last year said her son got into a dispute with a Yemeni colleague.
According to her, in the ensuing disagreement, the colleague stabbed Munyakho with a letter opener, prompting him to retaliate by grabbing the same opener and attacking him. It resulted in the colleague’s death.
Sing’oei said that Munyakho had performed the minor Muslim pilgrimage in Mecca following his release. It is unclear when he would return home.
