Vietnam Court Issues Ruling On Margaret Nduta's Death Sentence
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.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Margaret Nduta, a Kenyan woman who had been handed a death sentence in Vietnam for drug trafficking, has had her punishment reduced following a successful appeal.
Vietnam’s Supreme Court has commuted her sentence to life imprisonment, bringing a measure of relief to her family.
She is now eligible to seek clemency from the Vietnamese President — a process that, although not guaranteed, could potentially pave the way for her repatriation.
Vietnamese law allows individuals convicted of serious crimes to request leniency in exceptional cases, but the authority to grant clemency rests solely with the president.
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.
On Thursday, March 6, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Court sentenced Nduta to death, underscoring Vietnam’s tough stance on drug-related offences. This is despite her insistence that she was unaware of the drugs and claims from her family that she had been set up.
On March 22, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei disclosed that Nduta lacked legal representation during her initial trial; however, a formal appeal was later filed and has since been heard.
“We can confirm that while deeply distressed, Margaret is coping and has been treated humanely,” Sing’oei had then stated, adding “Though she was not represented by counsel during trial, an appeal filed a few days ago has now led to a life sentence.”
While her sentence has since been commuted, freedom is far from assured, as Vietnam maintains a strict zero-tolerance approach to the illicit drug trade.
It's important to note that the reduction of her sentence doesn’t equate to an overturning of her conviction. The clemency process itself is complex and requires a formal application to the Vietnamese President, who evaluates various factors before making a decision.
Although the Kenyan government can pursue diplomatic efforts to secure Nduta’s release and possible repatriation, the odds remain low given Vietnam’s firm commitment to national security and its uncompromising anti-drug policies.
On July 30, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi announced that the government is working on repatriating over 1,000 Kenyans imprisoned abroad, following the recent success in securing the release of Stephen Munyakho from death row in Saudi Arabia.
Photo of Margaret Macharia Nduta who was caught with 2kg of drugs. /FILE
Stephen Munyakho, a Kenyan man who had been put on death row in Saudi Arabia, speaks to the press on Wednesday, July 30, in Nairobi, Kenya. /MUSALIA MUDAVADI
