NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 11 – Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has expressed concern over the sentencing of a Kenyan woman to 100 lashes in Saudi Arabia, describing the punishment as cruel and inhuman under Kenyan law while acknowledging the Gulf nation’s judicial sovereignty.
In a statement on Wednesday, November 11, Sing’oei said the government was concerned by the punishment handed to the woman, identified as Esther Wanja Muthoni, but would continue engaging Saudi authorities through diplomatic channels.
“Saddened by what would constitute ‘cruel and inhuman’ punishment under our jurisdiction, but respectful of the sovereignty of Saudi legal system. We shall continue to work with our counterparts on these complex arenas of judicial enforcement,” he said.
The statement marks the government’s public response to a case that has sparked renewed debate about the protection of Kenyan migrant workers, particularly women employed as domestic workers in the Middle East.
Muthoni, 40, was sentenced by a criminal court in Riyadh in October after being convicted of having sexual relations outside marriage, following the birth of her son.
According to a report, the mother of five became pregnant following a brief relationship with an Egyptian man while working legally as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia.
She gave birth to her son, Abudy, in August 2025 at staff accommodation.
