A Kenyan family whose kin is facing death sentence in the Middle East has once again appealed to the public to help them raise funds for Stephen Munyakho’s ‘blood money.’ His mother, Dorothy Kweyu, made the passionate appeal seeking the public’s hand to help him save ‘Stevo’, who is currently jailed in Saudi Arabia.
Their appeal on November 12 came after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei, negotiated with the Saudi Arabian government to postpone Munyakho’s execution, giving the family more time to raise Ksh 150,000,000. Stevo’s execution was postponed on October 23, 2024.
“If 100,000 people send Ksh 1,000 each, we would raise Ksh 100 million, which will get us closer to our target,” a family member said.
We appeal to well-wishers to send in whatever amount they can, no amount is too little to save Stephen.
Dorothy Kweyu relaunches fundraising to rescue son from execution
“We appeal to social media influencers with large number of followers to lend their voices to this course ,” a family member said.
“We have approximately 11 months to do this. It is possible to raise, and we have a lot of good faith in Kenyans and we can do this,” one of the family aides said.
According to the fundraising committee, the family has Ksh 130, million to go to reach Ksh 150 million.
“We are not looking at the entire figure right now. We are looking at Ksh 130 million and your support has been invaluable, “the family aide added.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia Postpones Execution of Kenyan in Prison for Over 13 Years
For her part, Stephen Munyakho’s mother, Dorothy Kweyu, said that her son did not mean to kill his colleague, noting that they were close friends and that it was just an accident that happened on that fateful day.
“Nobody rejoices in death. Indeed, Stevo and Mujahid were friends, and I have always insisted that this incident was the work of the devil. It was the work of the devil because friends turned on each other, and what happened, happened. It was a sad situation, and I believe it had the effect of hardening the widow’s heart because these were people who sat together,” Kweyu said.
What led Stephen to face execution
Stephen was charged with the murder of Saleh who was his colleague at work after an altercation between them that turned tragic.
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.
Following the crime, he received a five-year imprisonment, but the Yemeni family later appealed the sentence in Shariah court, citing the right to retaliate.
Also Read: Kenyan Locked Up in a Toilet in Saudi Arabia
Initially, he was jailed for manslaughter, but the upgraded appeal by the deceased’s family saw him handed a death sentence after charges were to murder.
Kweyu’s family had a sigh of relief after learning that Steve will be set free if he raises Ksh 150 million required for the blood money known as Diya in Islamic law necessary to secure his release.
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