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A Kenyan domestic worker in Saudi Arabia has reportedly received 100 lashes after a court convicted her of giving birth outside marriage.
A Kenyan woman working as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia has reportedly been sentenced to 100 lashes after being convicted of giving birth outside marriage, raising fresh concerns over the treatment and protection of Kenyan migrant workers in the Gulf country.
The woman, identified as Muthoni, was reportedly sentenced in October by a three-judge criminal court in Riyadh, according to an investigative report by The New York Times.
Muthoni reportedly became pregnant following a relationship with an Egyptian man while working in Saudi Arabia.
She gave birth in August 2025 at staff accommodation before being taken to hospital, where police allegedly detained her for questioning over the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy.
Her case has since drawn attention to the legal challenges facing foreign domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, particularly women who become pregnant outside legally recognised marriages.
According to the investigative report, Muthoni's Egyptian boyfriend reportedly left Saudi Arabia after she became pregnant, abandoning her to deal with the consequences alone.
The woman said she was subsequently forced out of the accommodation where she had been staying with her child.
Without proper shelter or financial support, she reportedly found herself stranded at a petrol station with her…
