Munyakho’s return to Kenya in top-gear

By Newsflash Writer

Kenyan national Stephen Munyakho, also known as Stevo, is expected back home soon after being released from a Saudi Arabian prison on Tuesday, ending a 14-year ordeal. The government has confirmed that preparations for his return are in motion, including the processing of Emergency Travel Documents (ETD).

“Munyakho, a Kenyan citizen sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for manslaughter, has now been released and could arrive home as early as today,” said Jacob Ng’etich, Director of the Press Service in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.

Stevo was freed from Dhaban Prison in Jeddah, with his release credited to a sustained diplomatic campaign led by the Kenyan government. According to the ministry, Saudi authorities have agreed to cover the full cost of his deportation. “We are awaiting confirmation of the flight schedule, which could be confirmed anytime,” Mr Ng’etich added.

Ruto, Mudavadi’s diplomatic push saves Stevo from execution

The breakthrough follows high-level diplomatic efforts involving President William Ruto and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. President Ruto appealed directly to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, urging a stay of execution, while Dr Mudavadi formally wrote to the Saudi Foreign Minister seeking clemency.

These appeals led to the postponement of Stevo’s scheduled execution on May 15, 2025, as negotiations began over the payment of blood money (diyya) demanded by the family of the Yemeni man he was convicted of killing. This delay ultimately allowed space for a diplomatic resolution, leading to Stevo’s release.

Following his release, Stevo performed Umrah (minor pilgrimage) and was later moved to a deportation centre while awaiting his return flight. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has confirmed that his travel documents are ready and final logistics are ongoing.

Stevo left Kenya in 1996 to work as a warehouse manager at a Red Sea resort. In 2011, a workplace dispute resulted in the death of Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh. He was initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter, but the victim’s family successfully appealed the verdict. A Sharia court later upgraded the sentence to death.

The return campaign

As his incarceration dragged on, Stevo’s family, led by his mother Dorothy Kweyu, launched the “Bring Back Stevo” campaign. With support from the Kenyan government and international sympathisers, the Muslim World League stepped in unexpectedly and offered to pay the full Sh129 million blood money, stunning the family, who were preparing another fundraiser.

Even after the blood money was paid in March 2025, Stevo remained in custody due to bureaucratic red tape. His mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, expressed overwhelming relief as she awaited his return after a painful 14-year wait. “He always reassured me that in God’s time, he would come home. He kept me going and strengthened my faith,” she said.

The journey, however, has not been without anguish. Just a week ago, the family held special prayers for Stevo, not knowing whether he would survive. Ms Kweyu recounted her horror after reading a BBC article about an Indian girl who was executed in Yemen despite her family paying the required blood money.

“That story haunted me,” she said. “All week I was unsettled… I feared that Stevo, too, might suffer the same fate where payment is made, but things still fall apart.”

Now, as Stevo prepares to return to a vastly transformed Kenya, his family is also bracing for a new chapter of healing, reintegration, and rebuilding a life interrupted by years of fear, uncertainty, and separation.