A Kenyan man on death row in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade has been released after a lengthy campaign to save him from execution, a Kenyan foreign affairs ministry official has said.

Stephen Abdukareem Munyakho was released under a "judicial decree", Korir Sing'oei posted on X, without giving further details.

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His mother, veteran journalist Dorothy Kweyu, told local media that she "rolled on the floor" when she heard of his release.

Munyakho was working in Saudi Arabia when he was convicted of murdering a Yemeni colleague in 2011. The crime carries he death penalty, but after protracted negotiations, the victim's family agreed to accept blood money.

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Saudi Arabia follows Islamic law, which states that the death sentence can be commuted if the deceased's family accepts blood money, known as dihya, as compensation.

Kenyan media reported that the family had received $1m (£742,000) earlier this year in a payment made by the government and a charity, the Muslim World League.

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