Kenyan woman facing death penalty in Saudi Arabia described as very friendly
More details of a Kenyan woman who was over the weekend arrested by police officers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for allegedly murdering a fellow citizen can now be revealed.
Friends and former schoolmates of Ms Mercy Tomno alias Saumu who spoke to Nairobi News said she is an outgoing woman who also has a love for the bottle. Saumu, who grew up in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, has also been described as very friendly.
“Saumu is very outgoing and she knows how to make friends. When we heard that she had been involved in a fight, I was shocked,” said a friend who grew up with her.
Saumu studied at a secondary school in Nangili, Kakamega County before she joined Rift Valley Technical Training Institute (RVIST). Thereafter she secured a job locally before she flew out of the country to seek greener pastures.
Also read: Exclusive – Kenyan woman faces death sentence in Saudi Arabia for murder
She went to Saudi Arabia where she was working as a house girl until she fled from her boss and decided to live with fellow Kenyans who had also fled from their employers.
“She fled from her boss and she is among Kenyans who usually rent houses in Riyadh. Here, we call it Kukemboi,” Ms Ann Njeri, a friend to Saumu, told Nairobi News.
On Sunday, July 16, 2023, Ms Saumu was arrested for allegedly murdering her fellow citizen. She was arrested by police officers and taken into custody following the incident captured in an amateur video.
Nairobi News has established that the deceased lady is known as Maureen.
In a statement, Riyadh Police Region said the two had a dispute but did not give the finer details of the dispute.
“Security patrols in the Ritadh Region arrested a resident of Kenyan nationality, who assaulted another of the same nationality, which led to her death, following a dispute between them,” the police said in the statement.
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The incident, captured in a viral video, has attracted condemnation from Kenyans living in Saudi Arabia.
In the video, Ms Saumu savagely attacks Ms Maureen on a main road. She repeatedly slams the head of the deceased on the tarmac before kicking and stepping on her face.
The attack goes on until motorists stop at the scene and move towards where the commotion is taking place before the assailants walks away.
Those who captured the video appear to reside in a building close to the tarmacked road and can be heard screaming at the assailant to stop the attack.
“Saumu wacha! Wewe Saumu! Saumu!” a group of women are heard wailing.
Police in Saudi Arabia revealed that the victim died while receiving treatment at a local hospital. According to Saudi Arabian law, murder attracts the death penalty and already those are the charges the suspect is facing.