Govt Issues Update On Trying To Stop Margaret Nduta's Execution

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reported progress in the government's efforts to prevent Margaret Nduta’s impending execution in Vietnam.

Speaking at a joint press briefing with Netherlands Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp in Nairobi on Wednesday, March 19, Mudavadi stated that his ministry remains in continuous communication with the Vietnamese government to seek a possible reversal of the execution.

The CS informed journalists that the government had received documents outlining Nduta’s charges from Vietnam but was still awaiting a final response on the matter.

While acknowledging the complexity of the case, the former Vice President expressed optimism about the ongoing efforts to halt Nduta’s execution in a foreign country.

Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi during a consultative meeting of EAC Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence on March 15, 2025. /MUSALIA MUDAVADI

“Unfortunately, a Kenyan is facing this kind of situation. It is not pleasant and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular, my PS has been trying to converse with his counterpart in Vietnam,” Mudavadi assured.

“The talks have been for us to see if there can be a mitigation in this process and we hope that there will be some success so that there can not be an execution."

While expressing optimism, Mudavadi clarified that the government was not seeking to overturn the verdict but was instead negotiating for clemency on Nduta’s behalf.

He also revealed that aside from Nduta, approximately 1,000 Kenyans are currently serving prison sentences for various offences in foreign countries. However, he acknowledged that the government does not have detailed information on the specific crimes committed by each of the incarcerated individuals.

Mudavadi’s update on Nduta’s case comes amid growing calls for the repatriation of the 37-year-old, who was sentenced to death by lethal injection after being convicted of drug trafficking, calls that come despite debate on the matter and the government's intervention.

Nduta, 37, was sentenced to death by a court in Ho Chi Minh City for trafficking over 2 kg of drugs through Tan Son Nhat Airport. Her execution was scheduled for Sunday, March 16, with questions lingering on whether it took place or not.

Reports indicate that Nduta was allegedly working for a man named John, who instructed her to deliver a suitcase to a woman in Laos. However, she was arrested upon arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam.

In her defence, she told the Vietnamese court that she was unaware the suitcase contained drugs. Despite maintaining her innocence and not pleading guilty, she was sentenced to death on March 6.

Earlier, a team of representatives from Kenya’s embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, reportedly travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam, in a last-minute effort to avert Nduta's execution. According to Citizen TV, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei disclosed on Monday, March 17, that Kenyan ambassadors based in Thailand had travelled to Vietnam to seek clemency for the 37-year-old.

Sing’Oei further stated that Kenya’s representatives in Thailand would also push for a suspension of Nduta’s execution to facilitate continued diplomatic discussions between Kenya and the Vietnamese government.

An aeroplane at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. /KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN