A 40-year-old Kenyan domestic worker sentenced to 100 lashes and one year of banishment in Saudi Arabia is facing renewed uncertainty as her exit documents expire while she navigates a foreign legal system without legal representation.
Muthoni, a mother of five, was convicted last month by a three-judge panel at a criminal court in Riyadh for having sex outside marriage. The ruling followed the birth of her child in August 2025 at staff accommodation after a brief relationship with an Egyptian resident.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei described the sentence as "cruel and inhuman" under Kenyan law while acknowledging the sovereignty of the Saudi legal system. He said that Kenya would continue engaging Saudi authorities over complex judicial enforcement issues affecting citizens abroad.
According to an investigation by The New York Times, Muthoni spent more than a year trying to return home before the sentence was handed down. After being discovered by a supervisor and questioned by police, she was turned away from staff housing and local shelters, eventually finding refuge at a petrol station utilized by stranded migrant mothers.
While the Kenyan Embassy initially provided little assistance, subsequent intervention following last year's media investigation led employer Maharah to provide accommodation. The embassy also issued travel documents, but ongoing criminal proceedings prevented her departure.
