Kenyan woman in Saudi Arabia reportedly sentenced to 100 lashes

Esther Wanja Muthoni, a Kenyan woman who worked in Saudi Arabia as a housekeeper and nanny, has reportedly been sentenced to 100 lashes after giving birth outside marriage, according to the Guardian. The court ruling was issued in October 2026.

Under Saudi Arabia's sharia law system, which is based on Islamic law, sex outside marriage is a criminal offence. Hospitals in the country are required to report single women who give birth to the authorities.

Muthoni was recruited to work in Saudi Arabia as a domestic worker. According to the report, she became pregnant during a brief relationship with an Egyptian man who has since left the country.

Muthoni told the New York Times that she was afraid she would not be able to endure the lashes. "I don't deserve this," she said.

The case comes against the background of a legal change. In April 2020, Saudi Arabia announced a reform to end flogging as a judicial punishment. The reform applied only to ta'zir offences, a category in which judges have discretion over punishments. Flogging remained a possible penalty for some hudud offences, such as alcohol consumption and adultery, according to a 2021 report by ALQST, a UK-based rights organisation.

The UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, had planned a visit to Saudi Arabia. That visit was postponed in the week before 11 November 2026.