NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan consular officials have finally gained access to Margaret Nduta at Ho Chi Minh Prison in Vietnam, confirming that she is alive and being treated humanely. This development offers temporary relief to her family, who have endured weeks of uncertainty.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei revealed that the consular team, which had been operating from Bangkok, secured travel visas and visited Nduta following sustained diplomatic efforts. While distressed, she is coping as legal and diplomatic interventions continue.
Nduta was sentenced to death by lethal injection on March 6 after being convicted of smuggling over two kilograms of cocaine. She was arrested in July 2023 while allegedly transporting a suitcase for a man identified only as John. Investigators say she unknowingly passed through security at three major airports, including Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), before her arrest in Vietnam.
Vietnam enforces some of the world’s strictest drug laws, with the death penalty imposed for trafficking over 600 grams of heroin or cocaine. The Kenyan government has since filed an appeal and is engaging Vietnamese authorities to secure a stay of execution.
Nduta’s case has sparked fresh concerns over the vulnerability of Kenyans to international drug trafficking networks. Vietnam remains a critical transit hub within the Golden Triangle, where stringent anti-narcotics laws result in harsh sentences.
The Kenyan government continues to push for diplomatic intervention, hoping that Nduta’s case will be reconsidered in court.
