Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has revealed that the Kenyan government is engaging Saudi Arabia to extend a death penalty deadline for a 50-year-old Kenyan Stephen Bertrand Munyahko.

PS Sing’oei said that his ministry through the Saudian envoy to Kenya Mohammed Ramadhan Ruwange was engaging his counterparts to negotiate for an extension to the May 15 deadline, where the accused is required to raise approximately Ksh.150 million or face execution.

He averred that his ministry was confident of securing an extension since they demonstrated the willingness of the accused to pay with the Ksh.7 million raised so far.

“The circumstances that this gentleman is in are dire. When this case was brought to our attention, we instructed our Ambassador in Saudi Arabia Mohammed Luwaje to re-engage because we believe the door is not quite shut yet...even though it is a great thing for Kenyans to rally together to try and raise the Ksh.150 million we think there are diplomatic pathways we can try to resolve this issues,” he said.

“Based on the engagements of our Ambassador in Saudi today, we strongly believe that that deadline might be extended particularly when we demonstrate to the court that efforts have been rolled out to try and mobilize some resources to be able to meet this family mid-way.”

Despite reiterating the grave nature of the crime allegedly committed by Munyahko more than 10 years ago, the PS pointed out that the judgement by the Saudian government was ‘egregious’ in nature which ultimately gave the accused no chance of raising the required amount.

He thus noted that the government was committed to saving its citizens by trying to get a better solution to the terms given by the Saudian court.

“This is a case that has been in the books for a number of years…this young man (Stevo) inadvertently occasioned the death of another. Under the laws of Saudia Arabia, the penalty is either you pay blood money by way of compensation or there is capital punishment,” he noted.

“Today as a matter of fact our Ambassador had a meeting with his Saudi counterparts and a conversation has commenced. Our hope is that within the next couple of weeks, we will be able to know the direction. Most likely there will be an opportunity to go back to court for a review of this penalty because look at it, it is egregious, it is almost unattainable as if you have no option but to go through the death penalty.”

In the case which has Munyahko’s family struggling to raise approximately Ksh.150 million to save him from execution, only Ksh.7 million has been raised through crowdfunding in Kenya and Saudi Arabia. 

Munyahko is said to have unfortunately caused the death of a Yemeni national Abdul Halim following an altercation in 2011 while working as a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia. He was imprisoned at the time.

Initially charged with manslaughter, Munyahko's legal battle took a turn for the worse when the victim's family successfully appealed, escalating the charges to murder. 

The Yemeni family demanded Ksh. 400 million in "blood money," which was later reduced to Ksh. 150 million after negotiations with Munyahko's family.

The family has set up two payment options: direct transfers to Munyahko's mother, Dorothy Musopole, via Mpesa at 0702-878-717, or through the designated Paybill number 8056677, under the account name "Lets Bring Back Stevo.