A 40-year-old Kenyan domestic worker has been handed a 100-lash sentence and one year of banishment by a court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after giving birth outside marriage. The case of Esther Wanja Muthoni, a mother of five, has drawn international attention as she was found guilty of having sex outside marriage under Islamic law.
Muthoni travelled to Saudi Arabia legally through Maharah Human Resources to work as a domestic worker. While in the kingdom, she entered into a brief relationship with an Egyptian man and subsequently became pregnant. She gave birth to her son, Abudy, in August 2025 while living in staff accommodation at her employer's home.
The court imposed the 100 lashes prescribed under Islamic law for the offence. Notably, the ruling did not address any action against the child's father, who has since departed Saudi Arabia. Muthoni went through the proceedings without legal representation and reportedly chose not to appeal out of fear that doing so would extend her stay in the kingdom.
She has spent more than a year attempting to return to Kenya with her child but has been unable to travel due to documentation challenges. Her Kenyan exit documents have since lapsed, leaving her uncertain about when she can finally go home. It also remains unclear when the sentence will be carried out or what arrangements will be made for her return to Kenya.
The case highlights the limits of a decade of social and legal reforms in Saudi Arabia, where women can face jail time and punishment for what is termed an 'illegal pregnancy.' Muthoni is among thousands of East African domestic workers recruited to serve as housekeepers and nannies in the kingdom. Her ordeal underscores the vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers in Gulf states, where legal protections remain limited despite broader reforms on women's rights.