Wednesday, March 19,
2025 - Nominated MP, Sabina Chege, has affirmed the Government's commitment
to diplomatic engagement with Vietnam in a bid to spare the life of Margaret
Nduta, a 37-year-old Murang’a native sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Nduta was scheduled for execution on
Monday, March 17th, 2025, at 8:30 PM, but the sentence has been put
on hold due to ongoing diplomatic negotiations between Kenya and Vietnam.
“The best part is that Nduta is not
going to be hanged now,” Chege said while visiting Nduta’s family in Murang’a.
“There’s a lot of discussion going on,
and very soon, the Government will give its position once negotiations are
finalized,” she added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has
been working to secure a stay of execution and explore a possible repatriation
deal.
On Monday, Kenya’s envoys in Thailand -
who handle diplomatic affairs in Vietnam -traveled to Hanoi in a last-ditch
appeal for clemency.
Back home, Nduta’s family held prayers,
urging President William Ruto to intensify efforts to bring her home.
“Thank you, Mr. President, because my
child was not killed. Bring her to Kenya, and I will be so happy,” her mother,
Purity Wangari, pleaded.
Nduta’s twin sister, Wambui Macharia,
maintained her innocence, stating that she had been given a different suitcase
before her arrest.
“She was told her suitcase was small
and old, so she had to transfer her clothes into a new one,” she explained.
Nduta was arrested in July 2023 at Ho
Chi Minh City airport while transiting to Laos after authorities found over two
kilograms of cocaine hidden in her luggage.
Vietnam has some of the strictest drug
laws in the world, with capital punishment for anyone caught smuggling over 600
grams of heroin or cocaine.
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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