Just hours before the scheduled execution of Kenyan national Margaret Nduta Macharia in Vietnam, the government of President William Ruto has addressed growing calls for intervention.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Korir Sing’oei acknowledged the complexity and difficulty of Nduta’s case but reassured the public that the government is doing everything possible to assist her.
His statement followed a petition from Senator Richard Onyonka, urging President Ruto to personally intervene and negotiate for Nduta’s repatriation.
“Nduta’s case is complex and difficult, but we are doing everything within our power to secure a reprieve for our citizen,” PS Sing’oei said in a tweet.
Additionally, the PS revealed he had spoken by phone with Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nguyen Minh Hang, and conveyed the concerns of the Kenyan people regarding the impending execution.
He also requested a stay of execution to allow time for both countries to explore a solution.
“I am grateful for Madam Hang’s assurance that our petition is under consideration by the Vietnamese authorities.
In the meantime, our Mission in Bangkok is actively following up on the case,” Sing’oei explained.
Vietnam, known for its strict enforcement of the death penalty, particularly for drug-related offenses, carries out executions by lethal injection.
The procedure follows a three-drug protocol, including an anesthetic, a paralytic agent, and a lethal drug that stops the heart.
Senator Richard Onyonka issued an urgent open letter to President Ruto on March 14, 2025, calling for swift diplomatic intervention to save Nduta’s life. Onyonka outlined three key demands:
- To seek a commutation of Nduta’s death sentence to life imprisonment or another alternative penalty on humanitarian grounds.
- To initiate diplomatic negotiations for her repatriation to Kenya, where she could serve her sentence under the Kenyan justice system.
- To request intervention from the United Nations and human rights organizations to prevent the execution and advocate for fair treatment of Kenyans facing severe penalties abroad.
Nduta, 37, was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, after being found guilty on March 6, 2025, of smuggling two kilos of cocaine valued at around Ksh27 million.
Her family insists she was either framed or unknowingly involved with the wrong people. Despite the family’s pleas for government intervention, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has not yet publicly commented on the matter.
“I must see her before they execute her. I don’t care how long it takes. I just need to look her in the eyes and hear her voice one last time.
What is the distance from my womb to the mother? I’ve carried her for a lifetime, and now they want to take her away,” said Purity Wangui, Nduta’s mother, in a heart-wrenching plea.
