Saudi Court Sentences Kenyan Domestic Worker to 100 Lashes and Banishment

A Kenyan mother of five is facing 100 lashes and a year of banishment in Saudi Arabia after a court convicted her of having sex outside marriage, leaving her uncertain about when she will see her children back home.

Esther Wanja Muthoni, 40, has been trying to return to Kenya with her youngest child, Abudy, since giving birth in August 2025. But instead of making the journey home, she has found herself caught in a prolonged legal and immigration ordeal.

An investigation published by The New York Times on November 10, 2026, revealed that a criminal court in Riyadh sentenced Muthoni in October after finding her guilty of having sex outside marriage.

The sentence includes 100 lashes and one year of banishment. It remains unclear when the corporal punishment will be administered or whether the banishment order will allow her to return to Kenya.

Muthoni became pregnant following a brief relationship with an Egyptian man while working legally as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia through a local recruitment company, Maharah Human Resources.

She gave birth to Abudy in staff accommodation in August 2025. A supervisor reportedly discovered her and the newborn before taking them to hospital, where police questioned her about the pregnancy.

The case subsequently moved into the criminal justice system, with the court treating the relationship as an offence under Saudi law.

Muthoni reportedly attended the proceedings with a court translator but without a lawyer. She did not appeal the judgment, saying her priority was finding a way back to her other children in Kenya.

Speaking to The New York Times in a telephone interview last month, she expressed fear about the punishment.

"I am so afraid. I don't think I can endure those lashes," she said.

She also explained that accepting the sentence was, in her understanding, the only way she could return to her children.

A mother stranded far from home

Muthoni's difficulties began long before the court delivered its judgment.

After giving birth, she reportedly lost access to her staff accommodation and struggled to find somewhere to stay with her newborn.

The child's father had left Saudi Arabia, according to her account, leaving her to cope with the situation alone.

At one point, she lived at a petrol station in Riyadh where other migrant mothers had gathered while trying to arrange their return home.

The circumstances began to improve after an earlier New York Times investigation highlighted the challenges facing East African domestic workers who become pregnant in Saudi Arabia.

Maharah subsequently provided accommodation, while the Kenyan Embassy issued exit documents for Muthoni and her child.

However, the ongoing criminal proceedings prevented them from travelling. The documents have since expired, creating another obstacle to their return.

The latest investigation also raises questions about the support available to Kenyan workers who find themselves in difficult situations abroad.

The newspaper reported that Kenyan diplomatic officials, Saudi authorities and representatives of Maharah did not respond to requests for comment.

Muthoni's case therefore puts renewed attention on the responsibilities of both recruitment companies and diplomatic missions when migrant workers face abandonment, legal difficulties or emergencies.

Saudi Arabia's legal reforms under scrutiny

The sentence has also renewed debate over Saudi Arabia's record on judicial and social reforms, particularly its treatment of women who become pregnant outside marriage.

Sexual relations outside marriage remain illegal in the kingdom. Under certain interpretations of Islamic law, the offence, commonly referred to as zina, can attract severe penalties.

Muthoni's case is particularly significant because Saudi Arabia announced restrictions on judicial flogging in 2020. The reforms were widely viewed as an important step towards ending corporal punishment.

However, the changes did not remove every exception. Flogging can still be ordered in cases where judges apply Islamic legal provisions prescribing the punishment.

The New York Times reported that the Riyadh court relied on an interpretation of Islamic law that prescribes 100 lashes for sex outside marriage.

The judgment also included a one-year banishment order. Its destination was not specified. Under Saudi rules, an unspecified banishment order generally involves relocation to another city within the country, meaning it should not automatically be interpreted as deportation to Kenya.

The case has drawn criticism from human rights advocates.

Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova, a labour migration analyst and founder of the non-profit organisation Do Bold, told The New York Times that the sentence was inconsistent with international human rights standards.

She argued that punishing a vulnerable mother in these circumstances undermines her dignity rather than protecting her.

Human rights organisation ALQST has also criticised the sentence and called for Muthoni to be allowed to return to Kenya.

Questions for Kenya's government

Muthoni's situation brings back difficult questions about how Kenya protects citizens recruited to work in the Gulf region.

Kenyan women form part of a large migrant domestic workforce in Saudi Arabia, where employment can involve isolation inside private households and dependence on employers for accommodation and other basic needs.

For workers who become pregnant, face abuse or lose their jobs, securing shelter, legal assistance and travel documents can become particularly difficult.

The wider concerns are not limited to Muthoni's case. An earlier New York Times investigation documented the difficulties experienced by East African mothers seeking to obtain birth certificates for children born outside marriage in Saudi Arabia and arrange their return home.

Kenya's diplomatic missions have an important role in helping citizens navigate foreign legal systems, obtain emergency documentation and access appropriate assistance.

However, the latest reporting does not establish that Kenyan officials deliberately abandoned Muthoni. The newspaper's requests for comment were reportedly unanswered, while the earlier intervention by the embassy resulted in exit documents being issued.

The immediate concern is now whether the Kenyan government can help secure a safe and lawful return for Muthoni and her son.

With her travel documents expired and the court sentence still hanging over her, the uncertainty remains considerable.

For a mother who has spent more than a year trying to get home, the outcome will determine more than her immigration status. It will determine when she can reunite with the children she left behind.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.