Steve Munyakho/COURTESYSteve Munyakho, a Kenyan national
who had been detained for 13 years in Saudi Arabia for manslaughter, is
expected to return home today following his release from custody.
In a statement on Wednesday, Prime
Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi noted that his freedom marks the culmination
of months of intense diplomatic engagement between the governments of Kenya and
Saudi Arabia.
“Mr Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan national who
had been sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for manslaughter, has been released
and is expected to return home as early as today,” the statement read.
On Tuesday, after his release, before
being transferred to a deportation facility, Munyakho was allowed to perform Umrah
(minor pilgrimage), facilitated by the Kenyan Embassy in Saudi Arabia in
coordination with Saudi authorities.
Mudavadi said since Munyakho’s
passport had expired during his incarceration, the Embassy issued an Emergency
Travel Document (ETD).
“The Saudi authorities have agreed to cover
the full cost of his deportation, and the PCS is now awaiting confirmation of
the time of his deportation flight, which could happen today,” he added.
“The
government will communicate this as soon as the details become clear.”
Mudavadi confirmed that Munyakho’s
execution was halted following sustained high-level negotiations led by
President William Ruto, himself, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir
Sing’oei, and Kenyan diplomats in Riyadh.
Munyakho was initially sentenced to
death following a manslaughter conviction.
The execution had been scheduled for
May 15, 2024, but was postponed after Kenyan officials appealed for clemency.
“Immediately after the death
sentence was pronounced, Mudavadi wrote to the Saudi Foreign Minister and
appealed for clemency,” the statement said.
“This intervention led to a
postponement of the execution… to allow negotiations over the blood money
demanded by the deceased’s family.”
Under Saudi law, families of victims
in manslaughter cases can demand diyya, or blood money, in exchange for
pardoning the offender. The deceased’s family initially sought Sh129 million.
The statement noted that Mudavadi,
together with Sing’oei and other officials, worked to convince the family to
reduce the amount to enable a resolution.
It stated that President William Ruto
intervened by appealing directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, asking
for a delay in the execution while Kenya pursued diplomatic options.
After the family of the deceased
accepted the blood money, Munyakho was released from prison.
The Ministry thanked the Saudi
government for its cooperation and emphasised that Kenya remains dedicated to
protecting the rights and dignity of its citizens, no matter where they are.
