When Stephen Munyakho walked out of Dhaban Prison in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, yesterday, he was not the same man who had been led in 14 years ago. Then, he was 37, but, now, at 51, he returns to a family that has been waiting nearly two decades for his return.
Munyakho, popularly known as Stevo, left Kenya for Saudi Arabia in 1996 in search of employment and was lucky to find a job as a warehouse manager at a Red Sea tourist resort.
Stephen Munyakho’s picture from 14 years ago.
Photo credit: Photo | Pool
In 2011, he was involved in a physical altercation with a colleague at work, which, unfortunately, resulted in the death of the Yemeni citizen, Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh. Stevo was injured and later taken to the hospital by police officers, before being charged in a court of law.
He was sentenced to five years in prison for manslaughter, but the aggrieved family appealed, and a Sharia court enhanced the sentence to execution.
Stevo, the first-born son of veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, walked to freedom on Tuesday at 10 am, according to Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei.
“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 added, while commending “all who have offered their support towards securing this outcome.”
Dorothy Kweyu at her Katani home in Machakos county on July 22, 2025 following the release of her son Stephen Munyakho from a Saudi Arabian prison, where he had been on death row.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation
Yesterday, Ms Kweyu, who revealed she last spoke with her son on July 15, said she received the news of her son’s freedom at 12.03 pm "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," an elated Ms Kweyu said of her first-born child out of nine others.
Mrs Kweyu said Stevo has three children. His eldest daughter is 31, the second is a son who just turned 29 in April, while the lastborn will turn 25 in November. For years, the looming threat of execution hung over Stevo until a family-led campaign dubbed “Bring Back Stevo” and bolstered by generous well-wishers and diplomatic interventions, turned the tide.
Mrs Kweyu once described the fight to save her son as a “mission impossible.” The campaign’s committee chairperson, Mr Joseph Odindo, said in a press statement that Stevo was“freed this morning (yesterday) after the satisfaction of the court’s terms.”
Stevo was facilitated to perform his Umra (minor pilgrimage) and now awaits his return home once his travel arrangements are completed.
“Kenyan diplomatic officials were travelling from Jeddah to Riyadh today to officially receive Stephen from the Saudi authorities. 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 (blood money) to the family of the late Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, whose death led to Stephen’s conviction,” Mr Odindo explained.
Dorothy Kweyu receiving a phone call at her Katani home in Machakos county on July 22, 2025 following the release of her son Stephen Munyakho from a Saudi Arabian prison where he was on death row.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation
At the news of her son’s return, Ms Kweyu posted in an editor’s forum: “God did it through a legion of kind-hearted people. He is truly a faithful God.”
The Muslim World League stepped in and settled the full Sh129 million “blood money”, a form of restitution under Islamic law, required to secure Stevo’s release—a breakthrough that stunned the family, which had already begun planning a renewed fundraising drive after struggling to reach the Sh150 million target. Well-wishers had raised Sh20 million.
Stevo had moved to Saudi Arabia in 1996 in search of work, eventually becoming a warehouse manager at a Red Sea tourist resort. But in April 2011, a workplace altercation led to the death of a Yemeni colleague, Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh.
Initially sentenced to five years for manslaughter, Stevo was later handed the death penalty by a Shariah court after the victim’s family appealed. The family had originally demanded Sh400 million in compensation, but later agreed to settle for Sh150 million.
“The family will authorise the Saudi Arabian authorities to execute Stephen,” the campaign committee warned in an earlier appeal, unless the target was met.
In October 2023, after diplomatic interventions and negotiations, the victim’s family granted a final one-year extension to allow more time for the money to be raised.
“If the full amount of Sh150 million is not raised,” said standing chairperson Wangethi Mwangi, “the family will authorise the Saudi Arabian authorities to execute Stephen.” Throughout his incarceration, Stevo expressed deep remorse.
Stephen Munyakho with his brother, Cyprian (left) during annual leave from his work station in Saudi Arabia, with their mother, Dorothy Kweyu.
Photo credit: Pool
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.”
Mr Sing’oei confirmed that talks with Saudi officials were key in stalling the execution as negotiations continued. With Stevo now free, Kenya’s diplomatic corps, the Muslim World League, and countless supporters are celebrating a hard-won victory for justice and mercy.
