Sunday, March 16, 2025 - Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has described Margaret Nduta Macharia’s case as “complex and difficult” as the Murang’a native faces imminent execution in Vietnam for drug trafficking.
With her execution scheduled for Monday, her family and a
section of Kenyan legislators are calling for urgent diplomatic intervention.
Macharia was convicted by the People's Court in Ho Chi Minh
City on March 6th after being found guilty of smuggling over two
kilograms of cocaine.
Kenyan lawmakers, including Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka,
have urged the Government to negotiate her repatriation, even if it means
serving a sentence locally.
In a letter to President William Ruto on March 14th,
Onyonka requested that Kenya plead for clemency on humanitarian grounds,
seeking to have Macharia’s death sentence commuted to life imprisonment or an
alternative penalty.
Responding to growing concerns, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei stated on X that the Government is exploring all possible avenues for reprieve.
Sing’oei confirmed he had spoken to Vietnam’s Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Minh Hang, requesting a stay of execution.
Given that Kenya lacks a diplomatic mission in Vietnam, the
country’s embassy in Thailand is handling the matter.
Vietnam enforces some of the world’s strictest drug laws,
with capital punishment for anyone caught smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or
cocaine.
Unless diplomatic efforts succeed, 37-year –old Nduta will
have her final meal at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, with execution scheduled for 8:30
p.m.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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