The Kenyan government is seeking diplomatic intervention to stop the death sentence of its citizen, Margaret Nduta Macharia, for drug trafficking in Vietnam.
According to a report by Capital FM (Nairobi) over the weekend, the Kenya Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary, Korir Sing’oei admitted that Nduta’s case is “complex and difficult,” confirming that she was sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Sing’oei said he had a telephone conversation with Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Minh Hang, regarding Nduta’s case.
“I conveyed to Madam Hang the anxiety of the Kenyan people over the impending execution of our national and reiterated our request for a stay of execution to allow our two countries to find a path to resolving the issue.
“I am grateful for Madam Hang’s assurance that our petition is under consideration by her country’s authorities,” Sing’oei disclosed this through a message on his social media platform.
Also, the legislative house through its legislators, Richard Onyonka, Babu Owino, and Elijah Njoroge have petitioned the country’s President, William Ruto to seek clemency and repatriation for Nduta.
“This distressing development calls for urgent diplomatic intervention to safeguard her fundamental rights and explore the possibility of clemency and repatriation,” Onyonka wrote.
The 37-year-old Kenyan national is scheduled to be executed in Vietnam on March 17 at around 8:30 PM.
In July 2023, Vietnamese authorities arrested Nduta at an international airport in Vietnam’s most populous city after discovering over two kilograms of cocaine concealed in her luggage.
She had reportedly travelled through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Bole International Airport, and Hamad International Airport without detection before her apprehension in Vietnam.
During her trial, Nduta claimed that a Kenyan man known only as John had hired her to transport the suitcase to a woman in Laos, for which she received $1,300 and had her travel expenses covered.
She maintained that she was unaware of the suitcase’s contents. However, the court found her guilty of drug trafficking on March 6, 2025, and sentenced her to death.
Vietnam is one of the world’s strictest drug law enforcement countries, with capital punishment applicable for trafficking over 600 grams of heroin or cocaine.
