A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a Kenyan domestic worker to 100 lashes for giving birth outside of marriage, a ruling that underscores the precarious legal standing of migrant women in the kingdom. Esther Wanja Muthoni, a mother of five, faces the punishment after becoming pregnant during a relationship with an Egyptian resident.
According to reports, Muthoni gave birth in August 2025, and her supervisor subsequently took her to the hospital where she was detained by police. She stated that the father had left the country and, after being released, found herself denied accommodation and shelter. She also reported receiving no assistance from the Kenyan Embassy.
Her situation highlights the difficulties faced by thousands of East African domestic workers in Saudi Arabia. These women are often recruited as housekeepers and nannies, but pregnancy outside of marriage can lead to legal complications, including the possibility of imprisonment. Under Saudi law, which is based on Sharia, sex and pregnancy outside of marriage exist in a legal gray area, with outcomes varying significantly on a case-by-case basis as judges interpret Islamic law.
Muthoni was found guilty of sex before marriage in October. The court cited an orthodox interpretation of Islamic law that prescribes 100 lashes. While Saudi Arabia announced curbs to the sentence of lashes in 2020, the ruling stated that flogging can still be ordered in cases where Islamic law prescribes it, such as for sex outside marriage.
Beyond the lashes, Muthoni was sentenced to one year of banishment. It remains unclear if this will result in her deportation to Kenya, as the details of her travel documents and her legal case's pending status have complicated her ability to leave the country with her infant son, Abudy. Her initial exit documents have expired.
Human rights advocates have criticized the sentence, with one labor migration analyst noting that it "strips a mother of her dignity and does the opposite of protecting vulnerable women. It targets them."
Muthoni, who told The New York Times that she fears enduring the lashes and believes she does not deserve them, did not appeal her sentence, stating, "It is the only way that can take me back home to my children." The timing of the lashing and her potential return to Kenya remain uncertain.