Former Nation Media Group (NMG) journalist Dorothy Kweyu has pleaded to Kenyans to help her raise funds to save her son, Steven Munyakho from execution in Saudi Arabia.
Authorities detained Steven Munyakho for the alleged murder of a Yemeni man in April 2011 and is scheduled for execution on November 26.
However, this will be overturned if the family raises Ksh 150 million required for his blood money known as Diya in Islamic law necessary to secure pardon from the victim’s kin.
Speaking to the press on July 24, the chairman ‘bring back Stevo committee’ Joseph Odindo, revealed the amount that has been contributed so far and reappealed to the public to come through.
“Our target was to raise the 150 million shillings, so far, we have put together about Ksh 11 million, which is less than 10 percent of the required sum.
“So, our purpose here today, is to renew our fundraising initiative by appealing to Kenyans and all people of good will to please donate generously to this cause,” Odindo said
Dorothy Kweyu Appeal
Stephen Munyakho came to the limelight on May 7 when his mother, a former NMG journalist appealed to the government to negotiate for an extension of the deadline to secure his release from prison.
Moreover, she appealed to the public to donate in a bid to meet their target of Ksh 150 million that is required to secure his freedom.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia Postpones Execution of Kenyan After Govt Intervention
The chairman of the committee in charge of raising the funds Joseph Odindo said if at least 100,000 Kenyan contributed then Munyakho would be saved.
“By our calculation, if just 100,000 or people send in only 1,000 shillings each, we can actually raise 100 million which will get us closer to the target,” Odindo noted.
Similarly, Dorothy Kweyu revealed that she was in communication with her son and that he was in good health.
At the same time, she shared that he was aware of the reappeal to Kenyans and that he was hoping that Kenyans will see him through this situation.
“I’m in touch with Stevo, as late as last evening, when he called, remember he can call but I cannot call him. He was in good health, and I told him that we would be having this press conference, and he is praying that Kenyans might come out for him,” Dorothy revealed.
Steven Munyakho Execution Charges
Steven Munyakho was found guilty of killing a Yemeni national in Saudi Arabia in April 2011.
Reports indicated that he was engaged in a fight while working as a warehouse manager with Abdul Halim Mujahid Markad Saleh whose family currently lives in Saudi Arabia.
Munyakho’s mother Kweyu said Abdul, who stabbed Stephen in the thigh and thumb during the scuffle, walked himself to hospital where he later died.
Thereafter, Stephen Munyakho was tried for murder and received a five-year imprisonment, but the Yemeni family later appealed the sentence in Shariah Court, citing the ‘reciprocal right to retaliate’.
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Initially, he was jailed for manslaughter, but an appeal by the deceased’s family saw him handed a death sentence after charges were upgraded to murder.
The case, heard in 2014, overturned the ruling of a five-year sentence to a death sentence by the sword.
Government Intervention
Following Dorothy’s appeal to the government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia postponed the execution.
In a statement on Monday May 13, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei announced that the execution had been postponed allowing negotiations to take place between the parties involved.
“I am deeply grateful to inform that authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have kindly granted our request to postpone the impending execution of Stephen Munyakho (now known as Abdulkareem), to allow for further negotiations between all parties,” Korir shared.
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