- Kenya is urgently working on diplomatic measures to rescue Margaret Nduta, a Kenyan national who faces the threat of execution in Vietnam due to charges related to drug smuggling.
- In 2023, Nduta was apprehended at Ho Chi Minh City Airport carrying 2 kilograms of cocaine and received a death sentence according to Vietnam’s stringent narcotics legislation.
- The Kenyan embassy in Thailand is spearheading the effort to seek clemency or a reprieve for Nduta.
- Nduta’s family, particularly her mother, has appealed for her release and asked that if she faces imprisonment, it should be carried out in Kenya.
Didacus Malowa, a journalist with CDRNEWS.co.ke, comes with more than three years of expertise in reporting on politics and contemporary issues within Kenya.
Nairobi Kenya has launched a final diplomatic push to rescue Margaret Nduta, a 37-year-old woman who faces the death penalty in Vietnam for alleged involvement in drug trafficking.
As time was running short, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiated diplomatic pathways via Kenya's embassy in Thailand, sending a delegation to Hanoi in a frantic effort to obtain mercy.
Nduta's future remains uncertain, and should diplomacy prove unsuccessful, she might face a lethal injection, which would sadly conclude a case that has captivated the country.
When was Nduta arrested
In 2023, Nduta was apprehended at Ho Chi Minh City Airport with two kilograms of cocaine in her possession. Following her trial and conviction, she received the harshest sentence possible: capital punishment.
The decision has ignited an extensive campaign, with both the Kenyan government and human rights advocates calling for mercy.
The Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'Oei, informed Citizen TV Kenya that the government remains committed to saving lives at Nduta camp.
Considering Kenya lacks a diplomatic presence in Vietnam, officials from the embassy in Thailand have been sent to assist her.
Sing'Oei indicated that the government's initiative ought to secure at minimum a reprieve for Nduta and ideally grant clemency eventually.
Vietnam boasts some of the globe's harshest drug regulations, where trafficking ranks as one of 22 offenses punishable by death.
What isNduta's family requesting?
At home, Nduta’s family continues to hold out hope, desperately clutching the chance for a potential last-second pardon.
The heartbroken mother appealed to the officials, pleading with the government to ensure her daughter's liberation and to have her incarcerated within the nation.
"Bring that girl over here, and if you wish to confine her, do it right now," said her disheartened mother.
With time running out, Kenya waits for Vietnam’s reply, pinning its hopes on political and diplomatic initiatives to save Nduta from the impending threat.