30 March 2025 :

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) has confirmed the payment of Sh129 million to Saudi Arabian authorities for the release of Kenyan Stephen Munyakho, also known as Abdulkarim, SyndiGate Media reported on March 28, 2025.
According to Supkem National Chairman Hassan Ole Naado, the money was paid a month ago.
“I take this opportunity to confirm that, indeed, the Muslim World League of which Supkem is a member paid the said One Million dollars one month ago,” he said.
This comes after the family, through their spokesman said they had not received any communication on the said amount after United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar announced the development.
“If accurate, this information will be an answered prayer for the many well-wishers supporting the Save Stevo Campaign,” the family said.
“However, we have yet to receive an official communication as a committee. We have contacted government officials in Kenya and Saudi Arabia and will notify the public of the latest developments.”
Ole Naado said Supkem hosted the top leadership of the Muslim World League in Nairobi in August and brought Steve's case to the attention of the Secretary General Dr. Mohamed Abdul Karim Alissa and requested for his intervention to save him from execution.
Steve's case was made an agenda item in the supreme council of the Muslim World League, where it was observed that Steve never intended to kill the victim, given that he and the victim were, in fact, good friends, save for the very unfortunate fight that led to the victim's death.
It was then decided that Steve was deserving of the Muslim World League's intervention, hence the authorization to pay the One Million US dollars compensation demanded by the victim's family in order to save Steve from execution.
“As we speak today, I have been reliably informed that the victim's family has received the money, and it is now in the hands of the authorities of the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to process Steve for release.
“On Wednesday this week (March 26), I was in communication with office of the Secretary General of the World Muslim League as well with the Saudi Ambassador to Kenya and his Kenyan counterpart in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, both of whom assured me that the administrative procedures in Saudi Arabia are now underway to process Steve for release and, once those are done, our brother will, by the Grace of Allah, be set free to come back home,” Ole Naado said.
Munyakho, 50, was a warehouse manager in Saudi Arabia.
He is said to have engaged in a fight with his colleague Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh at his office on April 9, 2011.
Saleh, who was stabbed in the left thigh and thumb, walked himself to a hospital where he later died.
A Saudi Arabian court convicted Munyakho of manslaughter in October 2011, a sentence that was overturned by a Shariah court, which enhanced it to murder in June 2014.
Since then, Munyakho has been a state guest in various Saudi prisons.