Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan national recently freed after spending 14 years on death row in Saudi Arabia, has revealed that his execution was postponed due to a condition under Sharia law tied to the victim’s children.
Speaking during an emotional interview on JKLive on Wednesday night, Munyakho detailed how his fate was influenced by the age of the children of a Yemeni man he fatally injured during an altercation in April 2011. He had lived in Saudi Arabia since 1996.
“In 2016, I was sentenced to death, but there was a condition, they couldn’t execute me because the victim’s children were still minors,” Munyakho explained. “That bought us time to negotiate.”
Under Saudi Arabia’s Sharia law, the family of a deceased individual can seek capital punishment, forgive the offender, or accept diyya (blood money) as compensation. In Munyakho’s case, the execution was legally deferred until the children reached adulthood and could decide the offender’s fate.
Initially, Munyakho had been sentenced to five years in prison. However, he explained that under Saudi law’s dual system of public and private rights, the victim’s family later rejected a 120,000 riyal compensation offer and demanded the death penalty instead.
“Private rights override public rights,” Munyakho said. “Towards the end of my five years, the widow and her brother came to court and refused the compensation, opting instead for execution.”
Following diplomatic intervention by the Kenyan government, the victim’s family eventually agreed to settle for diyya, but demanded a staggering 10 million riyals (around Ksh.400 million at the time). The Saudi authorities later insisted the matter be formalized in court, triggering negotiations that eventually led to Munyakho’s release.
Munyakho returned to Kenya earlier this week and expressed deep gratitude to Kenyans and all those who supported him throughout his long and painful legal ordeal.
“Thank you to everyone who stood with me. I am free today because of your prayers and help,” he said.
Written By Rodney Mbua
