In an emotionally charged scene at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Monday evening, a jubilant crowd of family, friends, and government officials gathered to witness a moment many had long considered a distant dream. Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan citizen who endured an unimaginable 14 years on death row in Saudi Arabia, touched down in Nairobi shortly before midnight on a flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His return, under the adopted name Abdulkareem, marked the poignant conclusion of a tumultuous chapter for his family, who had bravely navigated over a decade of uncertainty and extremely difficult conditions awaiting his release.
According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Munyakho’s hard-won freedom came on July 22, 2025, following the meticulous completion of judicial processes in Saudi Arabia. His ordeal began in April 2011, while he was working as a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia. An unfortunate violent altercation with a Yemeni colleague tragically led to the colleague's death from injuries. Initially, Munyakho was sentenced to five years for manslaughter. However, this verdict was later "overturned on appeal," and the charge was gravely elevated to murder, culminating in the harrowing imposition of a death sentence by beheading.
A glimmer of hope emerged when the execution was mercifully postponed. This reprieve was granted after the victim’s family agreed to accept diyya (blood money), a form of financial compensation permissible under Islamic law. This crucial agreement set the stage for a complex and extensive effort to secure Munyakho's release.
The path to his freedom was significantly paved by high-level diplomatic intervention. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi played a pivotal role, intervening directly in the case by writing to the Saudi Foreign Minister to seek clemency for Munyakho. This diplomatic push was complemented by a remarkable show of national and community solidarity. Earlier this year, the Kenyan government, with vital support from the Muslim World League, successfully raised an astounding Ksh129 million to settle the compensation claim.
Following the successful settlement of the blood money, Munyakho was finally granted his freedom. He performed Umrah, the minor pilgrimage, a significant spiritual act for him, before being transferred from Shimeisi Prison in the Mecca Governorate to a deportation centre, where he awaited the final clearance to return home.
