Kenyan Mother Faces 100 Lashes in Saudi Arabia after Giving Birth Outside Marriage

A 40-year-old Kenyan domestic worker is facing 100 lashes and a year of banishment in Saudi Arabia after a criminal court convicted her of having sexual relations outside marriage following the birth of her son in Riyadh.

The woman, identified as Muthoni, was convicted in October 2026, more than a year after delivering her son, Abudy, in staff accommodation in August 2025. She is a mother of five and had travelled to Saudi Arabia legally to work as a housekeeper and nanny.

Muthoni was recruited through Maharah Human Resources, a Saudi company, and had a brief relationship with an Egyptian resident identified in court documents as Mohamud. He had reportedly left Saudi Arabia by the time she gave birth.

A supervisor found Muthoni and her newborn in the staff accommodation and took them to hospital, where police detained her for questioning.

Muthoni appeared before a three-judge panel during several hearings in the summer of 2026. Despite being entitled to state-sponsored legal representation under Saudi law as an indigent defendant, she went through the proceedings without a lawyer and was assisted only by a court translator.

Experts have noted that criminal trials in Saudi Arabia often proceed without legal counsel, including in serious cases.

The country’s legal system is based on Sharia and does not rely on a written penal code. Judges interpret Islamic law on a case-by-case basis, meaning that punishments for similar offences can differ.

In Muthoni’s case, the court applied an interpretation that prescribes 100 lashes for sexual relations outside marriage, alongside a one-year banishment penalty. No legal proceedings were brought against the child’s father.

She decided not to challenge the ruling, telling the New York Times that an appeal would have delayed her return to Kenya.

“It is the only way that can take me back home to my children,” she said.

Before the sentence was finalised, Muthoni expressed fear over the punishment in a phone interview.

“I am so afraid,” she said. “I don’t think I can endure those lashes. I don’t deserve this.”

Under Saudi law, women subjected to flogging are seated and remain clothed while being whipped a bamboo stick.

After police initially released her, Muthoni was denied access to her staff accommodation and turned away from a shelter. She later sought refuge at a petrol station in Riyadh that had become an informal meeting point for migrant mothers trying to return to their home countries with their children.

Maharah eventually arranged accommodation for her, while the Kenyan Embassy issued departure documents. However, the pending court case prevented her from leaving Saudi Arabia.

Her travel documents have since expired, leaving uncertainty over when the sentence will be carried out and when she will be allowed to return to Kenya.

A New York Times investigation found that at least 274 Kenyan workers, most of them women, died in Saudi Arabia over the past five years, highlighting concerns surrounding the safety and welfare of migrant workers in the country.