The Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh has thrown its support behind Dorothy Kweyu’s efforts to raise Ksh150 million to save her son from facing the death penalty.
Sharing the mother’s appeal, the Embassy highlighted Kweyu’s plea to raise the funds by May 15 to secure the release of her son, Stephen Bertrand Munyakho, also known as Stevo. Munyakho has been in custody in Saudi Arabia since 2011 and faces execution if the family fails to raise the required amount.
Munyakho was arrested and convicted for the death of a Yemeni national after a fight that resulted in the latter’s demise. Kweyu, a veteran journalist in Kenya, stated that her son did not intend for the death to occur.
According to the appeal, the Yemeni family of the deceased forgave Munyakho, relinquishing their right to seek revenge. However, the court still requires the payment of the equivalent of Ksh150 million by May 15, 2024, for Munyakho’s release.
“The execution is too terrible to contemplate. Therefore, we appeal to you all to help us raise this amount,” the appeal reads.
Kweyu has been tirelessly advocating for her son’s release, revealing that Munyakho has spent 13 years in Shimeisi Prison in the Governorate of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he is incarcerated.
The incident occurred on April 9, 2011, while Munyakho was working in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he was taken into custody. Kweyu explained that her son was initially sentenced to death by beheading but was later given the option of financial compensation under Islamic Law.
“I was later told that he had to be 18 to have a say on the execution of his father’s killer,” Kweyu stated.
She is now pleading for support to secure her son’s release before the deadline.
