Save Me, Mother: Kenyan on Saudi Death Row Makes Desperate Plea

Stephen Bertrand Munyakho (commonly known as Stevo) confronts an imminent execution sentence in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia while his family desperately seeks financial assistance.

During a Tuesday morning conversation with his mother, Dorothy Kweyu Musopole, Stevo expressed profound remorse, emphasizing his lack of intention in his colleague’s death. Stevo’s journey to Saudi Arabia began in 1996 when he secured employment as a warehouse manager at a Red Sea tourist resort. His life took a tragic turn in 2011 following a physical altercation with Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh, a Yemeni citizen, which resulted in Saleh’s death. Though initially sentenced to five years imprisonment for manslaughter, a subsequent appeal by the victim’s family led a Shariah court to impose capital punishment.

“Nawaomba, nawasihi mpaaze sauti, sikukusudia kamwe kutoa uhai wa mwenzangu (I beg you, I plead with you, spread the word that I never meant to take my colleague’s life,” he told his mother Dorothy Kweyu Musopole.

The execution date had been set for May 15, 2024, though recent diplomatic interventions offered a glimmer of hope. Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei recently announced that ongoing negotiations with Saudi authorities have yielded some progress. In October 2024, Dr Sing’oei confirmed that the reconciliation committee had granted a one-year extension, providing crucial additional time for the family to raise the required compensation. The compensation demands have undergone significant revision, with the initial sum of 400 million Kenyan shillings reduced to 150 million shillings in blood money – a traditional form of compensation paid to a victim’s family.

Stevo remains incarcerated at Shimeisi Prison in the Makkah region while these negotiations continue. In response to the extended grace period, the “Bring Back Steve” campaign committee has intensified its fundraising efforts. Committee Stand-in Chairperson Wangethi Mwangi emphasizes the critical nature of their mission, stating that failure to raise the full amount would result in Saudi authorities proceeding with the execution. The committee has expressed particular gratitude to the victim’s widow, Nadia, for her compassionate extension of grace, and to the Kenyan government for its diplomatic intervention.

The committee has proposed a strategic fundraising approach, suggesting that if 100,000 individuals each contributed 1,000 shillings, they could raise 100 million shillings, significantly advancing toward their target. Thus far, the family has managed to secure 20 million shillings. Mwangi highlights the astronomical nature of the required sum, noting its particular burden on Mrs. Musopole’s family of modest means. Those wishing to contribute can do so through Paybill No 8056675 (Let’s Bring Back Stevo), with their name as the account reference, or via M-Pesa to Dorothy Musopole at +254 702 878717.