Saudi court sentences Kenyan woman to 100 lashes for sex outside marriage

A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced Esther Wanja Muthoni, a 40-year-old Kenyan domestic worker, to 100 lashes for having sex outside of marriage after she gave birth to a child in the kingdom.

The October sentencing came after multiple court hearings last summer left Muthoni stranded in Saudi Arabia. She has spent over a year trying to return to Kenya with her one-year-old son but remains trapped by the legal proceedings.

Muthoni was legally employed through Maharah Human Resources, a Saudi recruitment firm. She became pregnant after having a sexual relationship with an Egyptian resident identified as Mohamud, who subsequently fled the country.

After the birth of her child in August 2025 at her staff accommodation, her supervisor handed her over to the police. Following her release from police custody, the Kenyan national was denied access to both her staff accommodation and local shelters. She was forced to live at a petrol station in Riyadh alongside other stranded migrant mothers before her recruitment company eventually provided housing after the media exposed her condition.

In October, a three-judge panel found Muthoni guilty of morality offenses and imposed the 100 lashes and a one-year banishment, in accordance with the interpretation of Islamic law of the court.

Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova, founder of the non-profit organization Do Bold, condemned the judgment, stating that the sentence violates fundamental human rights and strips the vulnerable woman of her dignity.

Muthoni, who had no legal representation during the proceedings, stated she will not appeal the judgment, as her primary goal remains returning home to her other children in Kenya. Her exit documents have already expired, leaving her repatriation in limbo.