Kenyan Family Needs KSh 150m By Next Week To Save Son From Execution By Sword In Saudi Arabia

• Steven Bertrand Munyakho was sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of manslaughter after a fight with his friend at work resulted in the latter's death
• The family of the deceased appealed the open court's decision in a Shariah court, which sentenced Stevo to death
• The deceased's family, which had refused to take blood money as compensation for their son's death, changed their tune and demanded KSh 150 million to forgive Stevo

A Kenyan family has the uphill task of raising KSh 150 million in the next 7 days to save their son from being executed in Saudi Arabia.

Why Kenyan man was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia

The family of Stephen Bertrand Munyakho (Stevo), who has been detained in Saudi Arabian jails for 13 years, narrated the torturous journey of waiting for their relative's release.

According to Stevo's family, he travelled to work as a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia in 1996 after completing high school. After raising enough money in Saudi Arabia, he hoped to advance his studies in the UK or the US.

Stevos' mother, Dorothy Kweyu, a Kenyan journalist, said a Shariah Court sentenced her son to death over the killing of his friend and colleague, Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, following a workplace altercation on April 9, 2011.

"He quarrelled with a friend and his colleague and fought. His friend took a mail opener and stabbed him in the thigh and the thumb, and in retaliation, Stevo snatched it and stabbed him in the chest," she narrated to TUKO.co.ke.

Kweyu said that Kenyan officials in Saudi Arabia told her that the deceased walked himself to the hospital, where he was admitted, but died the following day, leading to the arrest of her son.

Manslaughter sentence in Saudi Arabia

"On April 10, 2011, he called me from the cell and told me what had happened. In October, the case was heard, and he was sentenced to five years in jail for manslaughter. Soon after, the family of the deceased appealed to the Sharia Court," she explained.

Kweyu explained that Shariah courts handle private matters, and their decisions can overrule decisions made by open courts.

Shariah court's power in Saudi Arabia

"We waited for about three years before the case was heard. Finally, I got the worst message ever, telling me that the Sharia Court had sentenced him to death by execution by the sword because the family was unable to take the option of blood money," the mother said.

In such cases, there are only three options: execution, blood money, or forgiveness.

Blood money is where the aggrieved parties demand an amount of money to compensate for the deaths of their loved ones.

After over three years of negotiation, the aggrieved Yemeni family agreed to take blood money.

The family of the deceased demanded 3.5 million Saudi Riyals, approximately KSh 150 million.

"We are here to make an urgent appeal to Kenyans of goodwill to help us raise KSh 150 million. That huge amount is the ‘blood money’, which must be paid before Stevo can be released. And the deadline for payment, which is fast approaching, is May 15, next Wednesday," read an appeal by the family.

What is the Bring Back Stevo Campaign?

Bring Back Stevo Campaign, a team formed to marshal support to save Stevo from execution, is appealing to Kenyans and well-wishers from all over the world to help them raise the blood money to save his life.

Stevo is currently incarcerated at Shimeisi Prison in the Makkah region.

"To give impetus to this effort, the committee has organised a fund drive to take place on Sunday, May 12, 2024, at 3.00 pm. The venue will be shared in due course, and a link will be provided for those who wish to participate virtually," read the group's invitation.

Contributions should be sent through Paybill No. 8056675 (Let’s Bring Back Stevo), Account: Your Name, or via MPesa to +254 702 878717 (Dorothy Musopole).

The committee thanked Kenya's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Commission on Human Rights, and other well-wishers for supporting the course and appealed to President William Ruto to intervene and use his authority to help secure Stevo's freedom.

Kenya and Saudi Arabia have been tirelessly working to improve their ties, with Ruto assuring that more Kenyans will get jobs in the Middle-East country.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke