- The family of Munyakho's victim is demanding 'diya', a financial compensation under Islamic law
- Currently, 416,548 Kenyans reside in the Gulf States, with the majority, 310,266, in Saudi Arabia
Mudavadi noted the challenge of precise data collection, as not all Kenyans register with their missions abroad
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has informed the Senate that the government lacks the budgetary allocation to settle 'blood money' for Stephen Bertrand Munyakho, a Kenyan man facing execution in Saudi Arabia.
Munyakho has spent 13 years in various Saudi prisons and was sentenced to death after a fatal altercation with a colleague in April 2011.
“The family has raised Sh10 million. There is no budgetary provision for the government to settle this kind of situation whether in Saudi or any other country,” Mudavadi stated.
The family of Munyakho's victim is demanding 'diya', a financial compensation under Islamic law paid to the victim's heirs in cases of murder or bodily harm. The amount demanded is a substantial Sh150 million.
“The government is trying to do what it can to see if this matter can be resolved differently and if the family who lost the individual can perhaps climb down from the high level of Sh150 million,” added Mudavadi.
Temporary reprieve
On May 13, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oe announced that Saudi Arabia had agreed to postpone Munyakho's execution, which was initially scheduled for May 15.
“I am deeply grateful to inform [you] 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,” the PS stated on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kenyan Deaths in the Gulf States
Mudavadi also revealed alarming statistics regarding the number of Kenyan nationals who have died in the Gulf States. Since 2002, a total of 316 Kenyans have lost their lives in these countries, with the highest number, 166, occurring in Saudi Arabia.
Other deaths include 58 in Qatar, 51 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 25 in Iraq, 10 in Bahrain, and six in Kuwait.
Number of Kenyans in Gulf
Currently, 416,548 Kenyans reside in the Gulf States, with the majority, 310,266, in Saudi Arabia. Other significant populations include 66,025 in Qatar, 23,000 in the UAE, and 8,000 in Bahrain.
Additionally, there are 5,392 Kenyans in Oman, 3,515 in Kuwait, 200 in Iran, and 150 in Iraq.
Mudavadi noted the challenge of precise data collection, as not all Kenyans register with their missions abroad despite being encouraged to do so.
“It should be noted that not all Kenyans register with our missions abroad despite being sensitised on the importance of such registrations hence sometimes it is difficult to have very precise data,” he informed the Senators.