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Kenyan home employee sentenced to 100 lashes in Saudi Arabia for giving beginning outdoors marriage

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By Linda Ikeji

Kenyan domestic worker sentenced to 100 lashes in Saudi Arabia for giving birth outside marriage

A 40-year-old Kenyan home employee has been sentenced to 100 lashes and one yr of banishment by a court docket in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for giving beginning outdoors marriage.

According to New York Times, Esther Wanja Muthoni, a mom of 5, obtained the sentence final month after being discovered responsible of getting intercourse outdoors marriage beneath Islamic legislation.

Muthoni travelled to Saudi Arabia legally to work as a home employee by way of Maharah Human Resources.

While within the kingdom, she entered a quick relationship with an Egyptian man and later turned pregnant.

She gave beginning to her son, Abudy, in August 2025 whereas residing in workers lodging.

The court docket imposed the 100 lashes prescribed beneath Islamic legislation for the offence.

However, its ruling didn’t point out any motion towards the kid’s father, who has since left Saudi Arabia.

Muthoni went by way of the court docket proceedings with out authorized illustration.

She reportedly selected to not attraction the choice for concern that doing so would extend her keep within the kingdom.

She has spent greater than a yr making an attempt to return to Kenya together with her baby however has been unable to journey on account of documentation challenges.

Her Kenyan exit paperwork have since expired, leaving her unsure about when she will be able to return house.

It additionally stays unclear when the sentence will probably be carried out or what preparations will probably be made for her return to Kenya.

The ruling exhibits the boundaries of a decade of social and authorized reforms in a kingdom the place girls may be jailed and punished for “illegal pregnancy.”

The sentence is a harsh flip in what has been a terrifying ordeal for a mom who has tried for greater than a yr to return to Kenya together with her baby however has been blocked at each flip.

Muthoni is one in every of hundreds of East African home employees who have been recruited to work as housekeepers and nannies in Saudi Arabia.

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I am a seasoned journalist known for my incisive reporting and unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity. As a key member of the nop.ng team, I specialize in delivering balanced coverage of socio political developments and cultural affairs throughout Nigeria. Driven by a passion for uncovering the truth regardless of the complexity of the issue I have established myself as a trusted voice in Nigeria’s dynamic media landscape, continually striving to empower my audience with clear, contextually rich news.

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