The family of Margaret Nduta has breathed a sigh of relief after Vietnamese authorities failed to carry out her scheduled execution on Monday evening March 17, 2025.
The delay comes amid intensified diplomatic efforts led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to spare Nduta from the death penalty.
Nduta, who was convicted on March 6, 2025, for smuggling over two kilograms of cocaine through Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, had been slated for execution on March 17.
However, as the scheduled time passed without the sentence being carried out, hope has grown that ongoing diplomatic intervention may yet save her life.
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Nduta’s family held special prayers at their home in Murang’a County, urging the government to intensify its efforts to secure her release.
Her mother, Purity Wangari, expressed gratitude to President William Ruto and made an emotional appeal for her daughter’s safe return to Kenya.
“Asanti sana Mr. President kwa sababu mtoto wangu hakuuliwa. Umlete huku Kenya, nitafurahi sana,” Wangari said in a tearful address to reporters, thanking the President for intervening and pleading for Nduta’s repatriation.
Nominated Member of Parliament Sabina Chege, who attended the prayer meeting, confirmed that the Kenyan government was engaged in a diplomatic blitz to halt the execution.
“There is a lot of diplomacy and a lot of communications going on but the best bit of it is that Nduta is not going to be hanged now. There is a lot of talks going on and very soon the government will give its position once the negotiations are done,” Sabina Chege said.
Nduta’s sister, Wambui Macharia, insisted that her sibling was innocent and had been duped into trafficking the drugs without her knowledge.
“Walikua waschana wawili Nduta akaambiwa ‘wewe ndo utakua wa mwisho kutoka.’ Vile siku yake ilifika ya kutoka, aliniambia ‘Wambui wetu, nimenunuliwa bag, nimeambiwa yangu ni ndogo na pia ni mzee’. So akaambiwa ‘toa nguo zako uweke kwa hii bag ingine,’” Macharia recounted, explaining how Nduta unknowingly carried the contraband.
The case has sparked widespread attention and prompted calls for clemency from human rights groups and Kenyan officials.
Vietnam, however, is known for its harsh stance on drug offenses.
Under its Penal Code, trafficking over 600 grams of heroin or cocaine carries a mandatory death sentence, with limited avenues for appeal.
Vietnamese authorities discovered over two kilograms of cocaine hidden in a secret compartment of Nduta’s suitcase.
Although she maintains that she was unaware of the drugs, prosecutors argued that ignorance is no defense under the country’s strict liability drug laws.
Nduta’s legal team asserts that she was manipulated by a man identified only as John, whom they claimed recruited her to deliver the suitcase in exchange for $1,300 (Ksh168,571).
Vietnamese courts, however, have historically been unyielding to claims of coercion or ignorance.
While the reprieve offers temporary relief, Nduta’s fate remains uncertain.
Legal experts caution that successful appeals in capital cases are exceedingly rare in Vietnam, and the death penalty remains in place until formally commuted or overturned by the Supreme People’s Court.
For now, Nduta’s family clings to hope that the ongoing diplomatic push will secure her safe return home.
Martin Oduor
The alchemist of literary works – a master wordsmith with a proven record of transforming the raw materials of language into a rich tapestry of emotion, thought, and imagination.
