Stephen Munyakho has escaped death in Saudi Arabia and is set to return to Kenya after President William Ruto's intervention.
According to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, President Ruto spoke directly to the supreme ruler of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, to request a delay in Munyakho’s planned execution as Kenya pursued the matter diplomatically.
“Immediately, when he was given a death sentence, Dr. Mudavadi officially wrote to the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, intervening on behalf of Mr. Munyakho, and the execution was deferred,” he said in a statement on Monday.
“PCS thanked H.E. President William Ruto, who intervened by speaking directly with Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, requesting a delay in the execution as Kenya pursued the matter diplomatically,” Mudavadi divulged.
At the same time, Mudavadi revealed that Munyakho was set to jet into the country tonight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at 11pm, after nearly a decade spent in confinement in the Gulf nation.
Munyakho has been imprisoned since 2012 and has been required to raise Ksh150 million as diyya (blood money) to compensate the family of his alleged murder victim, a Yemeni national. Failure to raise the amount would have resulted in his execution.
On Tuesday, July 22, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei disclosed that Munyakho was set to finally return home after the government and other stakeholders formally completed the processes required to secure his release.
Efforts to secure Munyakho's release involved contributions from well-wishers, faith-based organisations, and government interventions that spanned several years. His return to Kenya could be hailed as a victory for diplomacy and coordinated humanitarian advocacy, which the government has pursued in the past seven years.
In March this year, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Hassan Omar revealed that the Muslim World League had stepped in and paid the required fines for Munyakho’s release.
Speaking during an Iftar event hosted by President William Ruto at State House on March 26, Omar stated that after successful negotiations involving Kenya, Saudi Arabia, and the Muslim World League, Munyakho was set to reunite with his family.
According to Omar, the negotiations, which involved key officials from both countries, resulted in a total of Ksh129.5 million ($1 million) being paid to the Gulf nation as a settlement for the accusations Munyakho was facing.
During the announcement, Omar revealed that diplomatic efforts to save Munyakho were coordinated at State House, Nairobi, hinting at possible involvement by President Ruto.
His case gained national attention after his mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, pleaded with the Kenyan government to intervene and save her son from execution.
