NAIROBI, Kenya — Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan citizen who endured 14 years on death row in Saudi Arabia, received a hero’s welcome from family, friends, and government officials at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Monday evening.
Munyakho, who has since adopted the name Abdulkareem, arrived in Nairobi shortly before midnight on a flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
His return signifies the conclusion of an arduous chapter for his family, who had waited over a decade under exceptionally challenging circumstances for his release.
According to a statement from the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Munyakho’s freedom on July 22, 2025, followed the successful completion of judicial processes in Saudi Arabia.
Munyakho had been working as a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia when he became involved in a violent altercation with a Yemeni colleague in April 2011.
The colleague later succumbed to his injuries, leading to Munyakho’s initial five-year sentence for manslaughter.
However, this verdict was subsequently overturned on appeal, and the charge was elevated to murder, resulting in a death sentence by beheading.
The execution was postponed after the victim’s family agreed to accept diyya (blood money), a form of financial compensation permissible under Islamic law.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi intervened in the case, writing to the Saudi Foreign Minister to appeal for clemency for Munyakho. Earlier this year, the Kenyan government, supported by the Muslim World League, successfully raised Ksh 129 million to settle the compensation claim.
Following the settlement, Munyakho was granted his freedom and performed Umrah (the minor pilgrimage) before being transferred from Shimeisi Prison in the Mecca Governorate to a deportation centre, where he awaited clearance for his return home.
Munyakho’s homecoming has been described by his family as nothing short of a miracle, bringing a long-awaited closure to a case that had captivated the nation’s attention for many years.
