Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho, a Kenyan warehouse manager who spent 13 years on death row in Saudi Arabia for manslaughter, was officially released Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM following the satisfaction of a judicial decree under Saudi law, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei confirmed.
Background: From Workplace Altercation to Death Sentence
Munyakho’s ordeal began in April 2011 when he was working as a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia and became involved in a fatal workplace altercation with his Yemeni colleague, Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh. What started as a heated argument escalated into a physical struggle that resulted in the colleague’s death.
Initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter in 2013, Munyakho’s sentence was later revised to death by beheading after the deceased’s family filed an appeal under Saudi Arabia’s Islamic legal system. He was held in Shimeisi Prison in the Governorate of Mecca, spending 13 years in various Saudi detention facilities.
The Blood Money Settlement
Under Saudi Arabia’s Islamic legal framework, Munyakho was required to raise Ksh 150 million (approximately $1 million USD) as diyya (blood money) to compensate the victim’s family. Failure to raise this amount would have resulted in his execution.
The case gained public attention in May 2024 when Munyakho’s mother, Dorothy Kweyu, a former journalist, launched a public appeal to Kenyans to help raise the blood money to save her son from execution.
Diplomatic Breakthrough
The breakthrough came through coordinated diplomatic and religious efforts:
The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) took up Munyakho’s case and began engaging key partners in Saudi Arabia. In August 2024, Supkem hosted top leadership of the Muslim World League.
In March 2025, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar announced that the required $1 million (Ksh 129 million) had been paid by the Muslim World League following negotiations by Kenya’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier, in October 2024, the Kenyan government had secured a one-year delay of Munyakho’s execution, which was originally scheduled for November 26, 2024.
Current Status and Repatriation
According to Principal Secretary Sing’oei’s statement on X (formerly Twitter), Munyakho is now free “pursuant to the full satisfaction of judicial decree.” Logistics for his return to Kenya are currently underway.
Reports indicate that Munyakho performed Islamic religious observances following his release.
Significance
This case represents one of Kenya’s most high-profile diplomatic interventions to save a citizen from execution abroad. It highlights the complex intersection of Kenya’s foreign relations with Saudi Arabia, the role of Islamic organizations in international diplomacy, and the challenges faced by Kenyan workers in the Gulf states.
The successful resolution demonstrates the effectiveness of sustained diplomatic engagement, religious mediation, and public advocacy in securing the release of Kenyan nationals facing capital punishment overseas.