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Steve Munyakho: Kenya detained in Saudi Arabia to return home today

Steve Munyakho: Kenya detained in Saudi Arabia to return home today
Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan man who had been on death row in Saudi Arabia. PHOTO/Handout
In Summary

Munyakho, whose execution had been scheduled for May 15, 2024, was freed after extensive negotiations with Saudi authorities led to a successful appeal for clemency.

Steve Munyakho, a Kenyan national who had been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for 13 years following a manslaughter conviction, is expected to return home today after securing his release through months of diplomatic efforts.

His freedom follows a high-level intervention by Kenyan authorities, including President William Ruto and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mudavadi confirmed Munyakho’s release, saying, “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.”

Munyakho, whose execution had been scheduled for May 15, 2024, was freed after extensive negotiations with Saudi authorities led to a successful appeal for clemency.

After his release from prison on Tuesday, he was taken to a deportation facility. Before that, he was granted permission to perform Umrah, a minor pilgrimage, in a gesture coordinated by the Kenyan Embassy and Saudi officials.

Mudavadi said the embassy provided Munyakho with an Emergency Travel Document since his passport had expired while in custody. “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 said. “The government will communicate this as soon as the details become clear.”

The statement detailed how Mudavadi, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, and Kenyan diplomats in Riyadh played a key role in the diplomatic talks that led to the cancellation of Munyakho’s death sentence.

“Immediately after the death sentence was pronounced, Mudavadi wrote to the Saudi Foreign Minister and appealed for clemency,” the statement noted.

“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, the family of a victim in a manslaughter case may request diyya, or blood money, in exchange for pardoning the offender.

In Munyakho’s case, the family had initially demanded Sh129 million. The Kenyan team worked to have the amount reduced, paving the way for a settlement.

The statement further revealed that President Ruto appealed directly to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urging a delay in the execution and support for a diplomatic resolution.

After the family accepted the payment, Munyakho was released.

The government expressed gratitude to Saudi authorities for their cooperation and reiterated its commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of Kenyans abroad.

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