Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan man who had been on death row in Saudi Arabia for over a decade, has been granted freedom and is finally set to return home—thanks to a high-level diplomatic intervention by President William Ruto himself.
According to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, President Ruto directly appealed to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, to delay Munyakho’s execution while diplomatic efforts were underway.
“Immediately after the death sentence was handed down, I formally reached out to the Saudi Foreign Minister on behalf of Mr. Munyakho, which led to the deferment of his execution,” Mudavadi revealed in a statement issued on Monday.
He went on to thank President Ruto for personally engaging with the Saudi Crown Prince to buy time and keep Munyakho alive as Kenya pursued negotiations to secure his release. That personal touch at the highest level of leadership proved pivotal.
Stephen Munyakho had been imprisoned in Saudi Arabia since 2012 following a conviction over the death of a Yemeni national. The court required him to pay Ksh150 million in diyya—commonly known as “blood money”—to the victim’s family in order to avoid execution.
Without it, Munyakho faced the death penalty. Fortunately, efforts to raise the funds gained traction over time through the combined support of the Kenyan government, religious institutions, charitable donors, and well-wishers both locally and abroad.
In a major breakthrough earlier this year, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Hassan Omar revealed that the Muslim World League had stepped in and cleared the fine.
During a Ramadan Iftar dinner hosted by President Ruto at State House on March 26, Omar announced that after long and sensitive negotiations between Kenyan and Saudi officials—coordinated largely from State House—Ksh129.5 million ($1 million) was paid to facilitate Munyakho’s release.
Munyakho’s case had caught national attention, especially after his mother, renowned journalist Dorothy Kweyu, made a heartfelt public plea asking the government to intervene. Her emotional appeal was the beginning of years of tireless efforts by humanitarian advocates and government officials alike to save her son.
After nearly 13 years behind bars in the Gulf nation, Munyakho is finally expected to arrive home from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 11 p.m. tonight. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei confirmed on Tuesday, July 22, that all processes had been completed and Munyakho was cleared to fly back to Kenya.
His return is being celebrated as a powerful success story of diplomatic finesse, international cooperation, and the unwavering hope of a family that never gave up.
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