After 14 years of anguish, silence, and prayers whispered across oceans, Stephen Munyakho — once a man condemned to die in a foreign land — is finally coming home.
The Kenyan national, also known as Stevo and now Abdulkareem, was released on Tuesday from Shimeisi Prison in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he had spent over a decade under a harrowing sentence: death by the sword.
His release was confirmed by Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Dr. Korir Sing’oei, who described the moment as one of “hope, redemption, and justice hard-won.”
“Our Mission in Riyadh has confirmed that Steve performed his Umrah pilgrimage upon release,” the PS announced in an emotional post on X, referencing the Islamic rite Munyakho observed shortly after stepping out of prison — a symbol of spiritual renewal and submission to God.
Munyakho’s ordeal began in April 2011, when a workplace altercation with a Yemeni colleague turned fatal.
As a warehouse manager trying to build a future abroad, he found himself instead on death row — isolated, powerless, and thousands of miles from the land of his birth.
He was slated for execution in May 2024, but an outpouring of diplomatic effort — fused with interfaith dialogue — stayed the blade.
The government of Kenya, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, engaged not only state actors but also religious leaders, leaning on compassion and the values of shared humanity.
The breakthrough came in March 2025, when UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar announced that Nairobi and Riyadh had reached a life-saving agreement. A $1 million (approx. Ksh. 129 million) settlement, paid by the Muslim World League, paved the way for his freedom.
It was during a state Iftar dinner hosted by President William Ruto that the wheels of mercy began to turn.
The President personally reached out to Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League and a globally respected voice in Islam, who had previously visited Kenya. His intervention proved pivotal.
Now free, and spiritually reborn as Abdulkareem, Munyakho prepares to return to the soil that raised him — not as a convict, but as a symbol of endurance, faith, and the power of diplomacy rooted in humanity.
Further details regarding his arrival are expected in the coming days.
“Countless people — from diplomats to ordinary citizens — stood in the gap for Stephen,” said PS Sing’oei. “To them, and to God above, we owe this homecoming.”
