Hours before the scheduled execution of Kenyan Margaret Nduta Macharia in Vietnam, President William Ruto’s government has broken the silence on calls for intervention.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS) Korir Sing’oei has stated that assuring the public that Nduta’s case is complex and difficult.
However, the PS has indicated that the government is doing everything within its means to assist her.
The remarks came after Senator Richard Onyonka petitioned President William Ruto to personally intervene and negotiate for the repatriation. of Nduta.
“Nduta’s case is complex and difficult, but we are doing everything within our disposal to secure a reprieve for our nation,” the PS said in a tweet.
At the same time, the PS revealed that he had a telephone conversation with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Nguyen Minh Hang over the matter of Margaret Nduta and ‘conveyed the anxiety of the Kenyan people on the impending execution.”
He also requested for a stay of execution to allow Kenya and Vietnam to find a path to resolving the issue.
“I am grateful for Madam Hang’s assurance that our Petition is under consideration by her Country’s authorities. In the meantime, our Mission in Bankok is actively following up the case,” explained PS Sing’oei.
Also Read: Kenyan Mother Begs to See Daughter Before She is Executed in Vietnam
Vietnam’s Execution Style and Plea to Ruto’s Govt
Vietnam executes prisoners using lethal injection, a method introduced in 2011 to replace firing squads.
The process follows a three-drug protocol. First, an anesthetic to induce unconsciousness, a paralytic agent to stop muscle movement, and a lethal drug to halt the heart.
Vietnam is among the top countries in the world that enforce the death penalty, especially for drug-related crimes.
Senator Richard Onyonka in an open letter dated March 14, 2025, made an urgent appeal to Ruto, demanding swift diplomatic intervention to save her life by engaging the Vietnamese authorities.
Onyonka issued three key demands for the Kenyan government including pushing for commuting Nduta’s death sentence to life imprisonment or an alternative penalty on humanitarian grounds.
Also, he asked Ruto’s government to call for diplomatic negotiations that would allow Nduta to return to Kenya and serve her sentence under the Kenyan justice system.
Lastly, he asked that the government seeks intervention from the United Nations and other human rights organizations to prevent the execution and advocate for fair treatment of Kenyans facing harsh penalties abroad.
Also Read: Firing Squad or Lethal Injection? How Kenya’s Nduta Will Meet Her Tragic End in Vietnam
Nduta Sentenced in Vietnam
Nduta, a 37-year-old Kenyan, was sentenced to death in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, over drug trafficking charges.
On March 6, 2025, a Vietnamese court found her guilty of smuggling two kilos of cocaine valued at about Ksh27 million in the international market and sentenced her to death by lethal injection.
However, her family insists that she was either framed or unknowingly fell into the wrong company.
Nduta’s family has been pleading with the Kenyan government to save but the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs has not commented on the proceedings.
“I must see her before they hang 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 have carried her for a lifetime, and now they want to take her away,” Purity Wangui, Nduta’s mother said.
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