After 14 years of being locked up in a Saudi Arabian prison — with a long stretch of that time spent on death row — Stephen Munyakho, who is popularly known as Stevo, is finally back on Kenyan soil.
Stevo’s return in the wee hours of yesterday morning marked the end of a harrowing journey and the beginning of an emotional reunion with the family that never stopped fighting for his freedom.
Joy as Stephen Munyakho jets back to Kenya after spending 14 years in Saudi prison
At 51, Stevo has stepped back into a life that had long moved on without him. He had left in his late 30s, only to return to children now grown, years of unanswered questions and a community that had held on to hope against all odds.
Much of his first day was spent being briefed on all he had missed — three children who came of age in his absence and the relentless efforts of loved ones who refused to give up. His flight from Jeddah arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at exactly 12.50 am.
“My presence here today is nothing short of a miracle… It is wonderful to be back home. But please allow me some time to rest and reorganise myself before I can speak further,” he said.
'I'm glad to be back home,' says Stephen Munyakho after returning from Saudi Arabia
Outside the VIP lounge, a small but jubilant crowd comprising family members, friends and supporters had gathered, clad in branded t-shirts and holding banners bearing a rallying call that had kept the fire of hope burning: #BringBackStevo.
Dressed in a light blue cotton shirt and khaki trousers, Stevo emerged from the terminal flanked by his mother, Dorothy Kweyu, to his left and his father, Reuben Maero, to his right.
Stephen Bertrand Munyakho (centre) who had been on death row in Saudi Arabia, arrives at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on July 29, 2025. He is received by his parents Reuben Maero (left) and Dorothy Kweyu.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
He raised his hand in a gentle wave to the cheering crowd but the moment quickly overwhelmed him as tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Allah, for this wonderful, wonderful gift of life. Thank you for each and every one,” said his mother.
Between them had once stood a chasm of impossibilities: prison walls, a looming execution date, a blood price of Sh150 million and the devastating fear that the final goodbye had already been said.
Yesterday, that space was filled with breath, embrace and the trembling miracle of reunion.
“I’m so grateful...God you opened your doors, wiped away my tears, and promised to deliver my first-born — the first fruit of my womb,” Ms Kweyu said.
Stevo was convicted in a case involving the death of a Yemeni national, Abdulhalim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, who died after they fought in April 2011. In October 2011, the case went to court and in February 2012, he was sentenced for manslaughter and was to serve five years in prison. The Yemeni man’s family appealed the sentence and, in June 2014, the initial judgment was overturned and replaced with a death sentence.
Stephen Abdikareem Munyakho, the 51-year-old Kenyan who has been on death row in Saudi Arabia for 14 years, is home; his family welcomed him at JKIA, Nairobi, on July 28, 2025.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation
The execution was, however, stayed because the victim’s children were too young to give their consent in the matter, according to Ms Kweyu. With the victim’s last-born son attaining adulthood in 2018, tough negotiations for blood money started. After five years, the two families agreed on Sh150 million.
The mission to fundraise turned around earlier this year when the Muslim World League unexpectedly stepped in and paid Sh129 million after well-wishers had raised only Sh20 million.
Among those who welcomed Stevo back home yesterday was Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, who acknowledged the emotional and political weight of the case.
“It is really my joy and pleasure to receive Stevo home. A year ago, precisely on May 14, 2024, Mama Dorothy Kweyu came to my office to plead with the government to do what it could to bring Stevo back home,” he said. “Even as I told Mama Dorothy we would do everything that we could to bring Steve back, I honestly wasn’t sure how we would do it.”
The Bring Back Stevo Committee, which spearheaded the campaign for his release, described his return as the beginning of a longer journey.
“Words cannot fully express our joy — especially that of his family and friends as well as his parents who are both here — at this long-awaited reunion,” said committee chairperson Joseph Odindo. “The Bring Stevo home 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 Abdulhalim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, whose death led to Stephen’s conviction. We also thank all those who contributed to the fundraising efforts and who offered prayers for Stephen’s release,” added Mr Odindo.
