Margaret Nduta, a 37-year-old Kenyan, has been sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking. She was arrested in July 2023 at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City after authorities discovered over two kilograms of illegal substances hidden in her suitcase.
Nduta claims she was unaware of the bag’s contents, stating that an acquaintance had offered her $1,300 (approximately KSh 167,000) to transport it. Despite passing security checks in Nairobi, Ethiopia, and Qatar, Vietnamese officials uncovered the drugs upon her arrival.
On March 6, 2025, a Ho Chi Minh City court found her guilty and handed down the death penalty. She had seven days to appeal the ruling, but with the deadline now passed, she has no remaining legal options.
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Nduta’s case has garnered international attention, underscoring Vietnam’s stringent drug laws. The country is known for its harsh penalties, including the death sentence, for drug-related offenses.
In December 2024, a Vietnamese court sentenced 27 people, including 67-year-old Vu Hoang Oanh, to death for smuggling over 600 kilograms of drugs from Cambodia. Similarly, in January 2024, nine individuals faced the death penalty for trafficking more than 100 kilograms of illegal substances from Laos.
Vietnamese courts have also applied capital punishment in financial crimes. In April 2024, business tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for embezzling over $12 billion from a bank, causing significant economic losses.
The Kenyan government has intervened, with Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei formally requesting clemency for Nduta. Politicians, including Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, have urged President William Ruto to take stronger action to prevent her execution.
