Saudi Arabian authorities have extended the deadline for the execution of Kenyan Stephen Munyakho by four months, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei has announced.
In a statement on Thursday, June 13, 2024, authorities in Saudi Arabia have extended the execution to November 26, 2024.
According to Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary the government is still actively searching for a resolution of the outstanding and complex matter.
The Kenyan government and Saudi Arabian authorities are engaged in talks over blood money which Munyakho was ordered to pay or face execution.
“I wish to notify the public that we continue to actively search for the resolution of the outstanding and complex matter regarding Stephen Munyakho,” PS Sing’Oei stated.
“Following our intervention, the deadline for the collection of compensation has been extended by four months from the initial of July 26, 2024 to November 26, 2024,” he added.
The PS however challenged wellwishers to help the family raise Ksh120 million for Munyakho to be set free.
Nonetheless, he asserted that the foreign ministry is working with Munyakho’s family and will consolidate all fundraising efforts on the week beginning July 8, 2024, to assess progress made.
“I laud the Kenya Mission in Riyadh for their dedicated effort in engaging Saudi authorities and the family of the deceased. We call on everyone’s support in raising the required 3.5 million Saudi Riyals (approximately Ksh120 million as at current exchange rate),” he stated.
“We continue to work with Stephen’s family and will consolidate all fundraising efforts on the week beginning July 8, 2024 in order to assess progress made.”
Additionally, PS Sing’Oei insisted that the government is exhausting all available diplomatic channels in a bid to ensure Stephen is home with family.
“We intend to further pursue all diplomatic channels available to resolve this matter and bring Stephen home,” he insisted.
Munyakho, the son of veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, was due to be executed in June, 2024 for the murder of a Yemeni man in 2011.
However, his family reached out to Kenyans helping the wellwishers to help them raise the money to help their son be expatriated and evade execution.
Their plea caught the attention of the government which decided to intervene by engaging Saudi Arabian authorities.
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