Kenyan woman sentenced to 100 lashes in Saudi Arabia after giving birth outside marriage

There is massive outrage after a Kenyan mother was sentenced to 100 lashes after giving birth outside marriage in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Sharia law in Saudi Arabia, sex outside marriage is a criminal offence.

The 40-year-old Kenyan domestic worker and mother to five children, Esther Wanja Muthoni, was recruited to work as a nanny and housekeeper in the country, the Guardian reported. Reports also say that she became pregnant after a brief relationship with an Egyptian man named Mohamud.

The man had since then left the country.

Rights groups say that there are several cases where unmarried women give birth in Saudi Arabia. Muthoni, however, was punished after her case came to light because she was taken to a hospital.

She gave birth in August 2025 in staff housing. A supervisor discovered them and took them to a hospital.

The hospital is required to report single women who give birth to authorities. She was then detained by police officers. Muthoni attended the proceedings that followed without a lawyer, according to a New York Times investigation. She was given a court translator.

She was later released but wasn't allowed into the staff housing. She also did not receive help from the Kenyan Embassy.

In October, she was sentenced to 100 lashes and a year of banishment for sex outside marriage by judges who relied on their interpretation of Islamic law. She also did not appeal the conviction, saying she wanted to return to Kenya and reunite with her other children.

She had also been unable to return home with her child for more than a year since her Kenyan exit documents expired, according to the Kenya Times.

In 2020, the Saudi government announced a reform to end flogging as a judicial punishment However, there are loopholes for certain morality crimes.

The ruling, which was made last month, has been condemned by Kenyan officials.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei of Kenya called the punishment ‘cruel and inhuman’.

In July, both Kenya and Saudi Arabia had signed a new agreement to regulate the recruitment and employment of Kenyan domestic workers in the kingdom.

The agreement seeks to ensure lawful recruitment, protect the rights of domestic workers and employers, regulate employment contracts and strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

However, the agreement does not specify how cases of migrant workers facing criminal proceedings would be handled.