Stephen Munyakho: Saudi Arabia Postpones Execution Of Kenyan Man Convicted Of Murder

• Veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu had turned to social media to seek help in raising blood money worth KSh 150 million to save her son from execution
• Kweyu's son, Stephen Munyakho, had gone to Saudi Arabia in pursuit of greener pastures when a tragic altercation in 2011 resulted in a murder conviction under Sharia law
• Munyakho was to be executed on Wednesday, May 15, but through the government's intervention, the execution was postponed

The government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has announced the postponement of the execution of Stephen Munyakho, who had been detained for murder in Saudi Arabia.

In a press statement released on Monday, May 13, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei said that the authorities in Saudi Arabia granted the request to allow further negotiations between all parties.

" As we devise strategies to bring this matter to a more acceptable conclusion, and thereby giving both families the closure they so urgently need and deserve, we shall continue to lean on the warm and solid friendship that we have with our Saudi partners, as well as on the goodwill of all Kenyans," the statement read in part.

He further stated that in the future, the Kenyan government will be engaging with stakeholders in Nairobi and Riyadh to agree on the next urgent steps.

Munyakho, now known as Abdulkareem in Saudi, was due to be executed on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

How did Stephen Munyakho get to Saudi Arabia?

Having spent 22 years in Kenya, his quest for financial stability and educational opportunities led him to the Middle East, where he has since spent 28 years in Saudi Arabia.

However, his dreams were shattered when a tragic altercation in 2011 resulted in a murder conviction under Sharia law.

The incident, a fatal clash with Abdul Halim Mujahid Markad Saleh, a Yemeni national, left Munyakho incarcerated for the past 13 years, facing the spectre of execution.

How did Dorothy Kweyu plan to help his son?

Earlier, Kweyu, the devoted mother of Munyakho, undertook an unwavering campaign for her son's salvation, rallying support from both within Kenya and internationally.

She appealed to the collective empathy of her fellow citizens, urging them to contribute towards the exorbitant amount of blood money required for Stephen's release.

The family managed to raise a fraction of the staggering sum of KSh 150 million demanded by Abdul's family before the May 15, 2024, deadline.

Govt moves to save Munyakho

On May 8, Korir Sing'oei, outlined the government's stance on the matter.

While speaking to Citizen TV, he said the government has instructed Kenya's ambassador to the Middle East nation, Mohammed Ruwanje, to use every diplomatic solution to help Munyakho.

He added that the Kenyan ambassador met with his counterparts in the Saudi Foreign Affairs ministry, and talks pertaining to the matter are ongoing.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke