Woman faces 100 lashes in Saudi:Punished for having child without marriage; stranded with infant son for a year, bid to return home fails

Forty-year-old Kenyan woman Esther Wanja Muthoni has been sentenced to 100 lashes for giving birth to a child outside marriage in Saudi Arabia. She is the mother of five children. She gave birth to a son in Saudi Arabia in August 2025, after which hospital staff informed the police. The police detained her and later prosecuted her. A court in Riyadh found her guilty of having a relationship outside marriage in October. Muthoni has been trying to return to Kenya with her younger son, Abuudi, for a year, but has been unable to do so because of the legal proceedings. The court has now sentenced her to 100 lashes and ordered her to remain outside the country for one year. No information has emerged so far about the date on which the lashing sentence will be carried out. She fell in love with an Egyptian man, who left the country Muthoni was working as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia through a company called Mahara Human Resources. During this period, she fell in love with an Egyptian man named Mahmoud. She became pregnant as a result of the relationship. Mahmoud later left Saudi Arabia. In August 2025, Muthoni gave birth to a son at the company’s staff accommodation. Her supervisor took her to hospital, where the staff informed the police. During questioning, Muthoni said that the child’s father had left the country. After being released, she was not allowed to return to the company accommodation. A shelter home also refused to take her in. She received no help from the Kenyan Embassy either. With no other option, she began living at a petrol station in Riyadh. Several other migrant women were also waiting there with their children to return to their home countries. Not every woman is punished for giving birth outside marriage According to an investigation by The New York Times, many women in Saudi Arabia who give birth outside marriage do not face any legal action. The newspaper spoke to several such women, who said they had not been punished for it. It is unclear why action was taken in Muthoni’s case. The court ruling makes no mention of any action against the child’s father. Children born to women outside marriage in Saudi Arabia often do not receive birth certificates. This makes it difficult for them to travel and return to their home countries. Flogging sentences were halted in 2020 Saudi Arabia’s legal system is based on Islamic law, or Sharia. Sexual relations outside marriage are considered a crime there. However, the country does not have a written criminal code. In such cases, judges deliver verdicts based on their own interpretation of Sharia. As a result, it is difficult to determine what punishment will be imposed for which behaviour. In 2020, Saudi Arabia decided to abolish flogging as a punishment for some offences. However, the change did not apply to offences whose punishments are considered prescribed under Sharia. These include having sexual relations outside marriage and drinking alcohol. Muthoni was sentenced to 100 lashes based on an interpretation of this religious law. During the punishment, women are seated and kept clothed while being struck on the body with a bamboo cane. However, it is difficult to determine how often flogging is imposed in such cases in Saudi Arabia. Court verdicts there are generally not made public.