Kenyan Man On Death Row In Saudi Arabia Set Free After $1m Settlement
BY BARAKA SIMBA
Steve Abdukareem Munyakho, a Kenyan man who had spent over a decade on death row in Saudi Arabia, is finally a free man after a $1 million settlement brokered by the Muslim World League secured his release.
His freedom marks the culmination of years of diplomatic negotiations and humanitarian appeals by the Kenyan government. The breakthrough was confirmed on Tuesday by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei.
“Steve Abdukareem Munyakho, the Kenyan national who has been on death row in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, is free as of 10am today pursuant to the full satisfaction of judicial decree,” Sing’Oei stated.
He added that Munyakho, upon release, performed Umrah, a minor Islamic pilgrimage, as confirmed by Kenya’s embassy in Riyadh.
Munyakho’s execution had been postponed twice—once in May and again in October 2024—following diplomatic interventions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which used the time to secure a life-saving agreement.
The decisive announcement came during an Iftar dinner at State House on March 26. UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar revealed that the Muslim World League had paid the full amount needed to commute the death sentence.
“The $1 million has been paid, and the Kenyan will return home safe,” Omar said, crediting President William Ruto for initiating the diplomatic appeal during a high-level meeting with the League’s Secretary General in Nairobi last year.
Tags: Saudi Arabia National Government
