Family clings on hope as Nduta's fate undecided

Margaret Nduta was found guilty of drug trafficking in Vietnam and sentenced to death on March 6, 2025. /HANDOUT

The family of Margaret Nduta, a Kenyan lady convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to death in Vietnam, is still hopeful that the hand of God will spare their loved one from the hangman's noose.

Nduta, 37, was arrested in July 2023 at an airport in Ho Chi Minh City while transiting to Laos, a landlocked country located in the heart of mainland Southeast Asia, bordering China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

Police found 2 kg of cocaine concealed in a false compartment on the bottom of her suitcase.

Despite maintaining that she was unaware of the suitcase's contents, the court found her guilty of drug trafficking on March 6, 2025, and sentenced her to death.

Her execution, which was slated for Monday evening, did not happen, seemingly owing to ongoing efforts by Kenya through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to plead for leniency and negotiate a repatriation deal for her to serve her sentence in her motherland.

On Tuesday, her family held prayers in Murang'a and appealed to President William Ruto to intensify efforts toward the safe return of their daughter.

The family has been hanging on the precipice of hopelessness as news about the fate of Nduta remains guarded. 

"Thank you so much, Mr President, because my child was not killed," her mother, Purity Wangari, said.

"Bring her to Kenya, I will be so happy, and many people will be happy," she added.

Speaking to the media at the family home in Murang'a, nominated MP Sabina Chege said the government has sustained diplomatic engagement with Vietnam to spare Nduta's life.

"The best bit of it is that Nduta is not going to be hanged now; there's a lot of talk going on, and very soon the government will give its position once the negotiations are done," she said.

Nduta's twin sister, Wambui Macharia, said Nduta was informed by those facilitating her travel and those of other girls traveling with her that she would need to pack her clothes in a new suitcase because the one she had was small and old.

"She was told to move her clothes to the new bag," she said.