A Kenyan who was set to be executed in Saudi Arabia next month has got a temporary reprieve after the date of his killing was pushed forward by a year.
Stephen Betrand Munyakho aka Stevo can now look forward to his 51st birthday next March while he is being held at the Shimeisi Prison in the Makkah area of the Middle Eastern kingdom.
In reaction to the execution postponement, his family in Kenya has said it is hoping for a “divine intervention” to bring the 50-year-old back alive.
Stevo is in prison because one family is asking for 3.5 million Saudi riyals (Sh120.2 million in today’s rates) so it can stop the Saudi authorities from executing him as per Sharia laws. This is because Stevo has been found guilty of killing their father.
So far, Stevo’s family has collected around Sh20 million to save him through the Bring Back Stevo Campaign. Failure to raise the Sh120 million, which is “blood money” for a father who died after a fight with Stevo in 2011, Stevo will be put to the sword.
This is the second time that the date has been moved forward, with the initial execution date being May 15. That was pushed to November 26.
The adjustments have been a result of talks by diplomats with Stevo’s family and the widow of Abdulhalim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, Stevo’s colleague who died after an altercation at their workplace. He hailed from Yemen.
According to Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, the one-year extension was a result of “strenuous negotiations between [the Kenyan] mission in Riyadh, Saudi authorities and the widow”.
“[It] has been postponed for another one year to allow parties settle outstanding obligations,” he posted on his X account on Thursday.
“We shall continue relying on our two countries' cordial relations towards concluding the matter. The goodwill of all Kenyans, partners, and stakeholders is equally appreciated. I commend Ambassador [Mohamed] Ruwange for his leadership on this important matter,” he added.
Stevo’s mother Dorothy Kweyu Musopole, a veteran editor, told Nation that the family is grateful for the temporary reprieve.
“We knew for sure that there's no way we were going to raise Sh120 million by November 26,” Ms Kweyu said.
However, Ms Kweyu is worried that the Bring Back Stevo Campaign might not raise the required money despite the time extension.
Friends of Stevo in Saudi Arabia had raised around Sh2 million and Kenyans have contributed about Sh18 million since February.
“We are seeking divine intervention because there is absolutely no way we can raise Sh100 million when we have only managed Sh18 million in those months,” said Ms Kweyu. “We have done our best. We have reached out, so we are looking for divine intervention to manage that amount within the specified time.”
The Kenyan government’s position has been that it cannot chip in because that has not been budgeted for and also out of the fear that if it comes to Stevo’s rescue, it might open the floodgates for other such appeals.
Ms Kweyu’s friends in the media industry are spearheading the Bring Back Stevo Campaign, and the team is chaired by former Nation Media Group’s Editorial Director, Joseph Odindo.
“Kenyans have done a lot. The money they have raised is not small,” said Ms Kweyu.
Regarding the upcoming one-year wait, Ms Kweyu said: “Who knows, there could be divine intervention. We are Christians, and we believe in a God of miracles.”
Stevo was initially jailed for manslaughter over the death of Abdulhalim, who had walked himself to hospital after their fight. He had injured Stevo on the thigh and thumb in their April 2011 altercation.
The manslaughter sentence was handed to Stevo in 2011. But things changed in 2014 when Abdulhalim’s family got a determination under Sharia laws that Stevo should be executed.
The execution was delayed because Abdulhalim’s youngest son had to turn 18 to give his vote on what should happen to Stevo. As the wait happened, Abdulhalim’s family warmed up to the idea of accepting blood money aka “diya”, and that is how they set the 3.5 million riyals.
Under Islamic law, diya compensates a victim or their family. It can be paid for a variety of crimes from murder to injury and damage to property.
It can lead to a reduction in sentence and in certain circumstances a pardon. It is currently applied in about 20 countries in the Middle East and Africa, including Sudan and northern Nigeria.
The Quran, the Muslim holy book, supports the paying of blood money - and this was further clarified by the Prophet Muhammad, who explained in his teachings that the price for murder or manslaughter should be 100 camels.
Modern interpretations mean this amount differs in different countries as diyah is now usually paid in cash.
Mr Munyakho moved to Saudi Arabia in his early 20s and has been held at Shimeisha Prison in Mecca for the last 13 years.
During an appearance in the Senate in July, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the government had no budget allocation to settle the blood money for Mr Munyakho.
To contribute towards Stevo’s release, you can use the M-Pesa PayBill number is 8056675, which brings up the account name “Let’s Bring Back Stevo”. The account number is the sender’s name.
Alternatively, you can send money to Stevo’s mother on 0702878717. M-Pesa brings up the recipient’s name as Dorothy Musopole.
