Arrested and Jailed: Inside Kenyan Staffer’s Bitter Ordeal in Saudi Arabia Over Alcohol Transportation

A junior employee at the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is reportedly serving a three-year prison sentence after being convicted of transporting alcohol allegedly belonging to two senior diplomats.

Kevin Mugambi Gitari, who worked in the embassy’s Labour Department, was reportedly arrested on June 16, 2026, after transporting the alcohol in his vehicle.

According to people campaigning for his release, two diplomats identified as Linah Lumidi and Charles Oure had handed him the alcohol and asked him to transport it.

The items were allegedly acquired through diplomatic channels available to the two officials.

How the embassy staffer ended up in prison

The campaigners claim Saudi authorities later requested a formal letter from the Kenyan Ambassador confirming that the alcohol belonged to the diplomats.

However, the ambassador allegedly declined to provide the confirmation, leaving Gitari to answer for the items.

He was subsequently sentenced to three years in prison by a Saudi court.

Possession and transportation of alcohol are prohibited under Saudi law and can attract serious penalties.

Gitari’s family and supporters maintain that he was carrying the alcohol on behalf of the diplomats and insist that evidence is available to support his account.

They claim to have purchase receipts, CCTV footage allegedly showing the diplomats handing over the items and an audio recording in which Lumidi and Oure reportedly acknowledged ownership during a conversation with Gitari’s wife.

Family appeals for government intervention

The family and campaigners are now appealing to Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, particularly the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, to intervene.

They want the government to investigate the conduct of the two named diplomats and help secure justice for Gitari.

The case has also raised concerns among his supporters about the protection available to junior employees serving in Kenyan foreign missions when they face legal difficulties abroad.

The allegations against the diplomats and the circumstances surrounding Gitari’s conviction have not been independently established in the account provided.

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