After 14 years in a Saudi Arabian prison, Stephen Munyakho, also known as Stevo, walked to freedom on Tuesday, marking the end of a long and painful chapter for his family and supporters.
Munyakho, 51, had been incarcerated at Dhaban Prison in Jeddah since 2011 after a workplace altercation led to the death of Yemeni national Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh. Initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter, his punishment was later escalated to the death penalty by a Sharia court following an appeal by the victim’s family.
The release was confirmed by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, who said, “Our Mission in Riyadh has confirmed that Steve performed his Umra (minor pilgrimage) upon release. We shall provide further details regarding his arrival in the country.” He also commended all who supported efforts to secure Munyakho’s freedom.
Munyakho’s freedom was secured after the Muslim World League paid Sh129 million of the Sh150 million diya (blood money) demanded by the victim’s family. The family had initially sought Sh400 million in compensation, but later agreed to settle for Sh150 million. A final one-year extension was granted in October 2023 to allow time for the amount to be raised.
Mr Joseph Odindo, chairperson of the Bring Back Stevo campaign committee, announced that Munyakho was released after meeting the court’s conditions. “Kenyan diplomatic officials were travelling from Jeddah to Riyadh today to officially receive Stephen from the Saudi authorities,” he said. “The committee thanks all those who made Stephen’s release possible. We especially thank the Muslim World League for paying the bulk of the Sh150 million diya.”
His mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, said she received news of his release at 12.03pm and last spoke with him on July 15. “I will need to see him just to reaffirm the greatness of God. His homecoming means a lot to me because in an African home, he is the leader of the rest. The news of his release came at the best time just as I was sinking into despair,” she said.
Munyakho, the first-born of nine siblings, is also a father of three. His eldest daughter is 31, his son turned 29 in April, and his youngest child will turn 25 in November.
Mrs Kweyu, overwhelmed by the news, shared in an editors’ forum: “God did it through a legion of kind-hearted people. He is truly a faithful God.”
Throughout his incarceration, Munyakho expressed remorse. In one phone call to his mother, he said: “I beg you, I plead, let them know: I never meant to take another’s life.”
His case had drawn public attention through the “Bring Back Stevo” campaign, which mobilised support from well-wishers and diplomatic stakeholders. The campaign at one point warned: “The family will authorise the Saudi Arabian authorities to execute Stephen,” if the full amount was not raised.
Stevo had travelled to Saudi Arabia in 1996 in search of employment and later secured a job as a warehouse manager at a tourist resort on the Red Sea.
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