Kenyan national Margaret Nduta, who had been sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking, has had her sentence commuted to life imprisonment following a ruling by the Vietnamese Supreme Court.
Nduta was arrested in July 2023 upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City, after being found in possession of two kilograms of narcotics. Under Vietnamese law, trafficking as little as 100 grams of narcotics qualifies for the death penalty, and she was initially condemned under these strict statutes.
However, recent amendments to Vietnam’s Penal Code, which removed the death sentence for certain drug-related offenses, offered Nduta a chance at reprieve. During her appeal, she argued that she was a transit passenger en route to Laos and had not knowingly carried the drugs. She claimed the narcotics had been planted without her knowledge and were only discovered after her connecting flight was delayed.
Though the court upheld her conviction, judges opted to reduce her sentence in accordance with the revised laws. She will now serve a life sentence but remains eligible to seek presidential clemency.
The Kenyan government, led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, had earlier intervened by formally requesting a stay of execution and pursuing diplomatic channels to secure a reduced sentence. Speaking recently, Mudavadi emphasized the government’s efforts to support over 1,000 Kenyans jailed abroad and warned citizens to be cautious when traveling internationally.
“Please, young Kenyans that are going out, remember that the moment you board a plane and the wheels have lifted, when you land in whatever country you’re going into, the laws that apply are not Kenyan laws,” Mudavadi said in March 2025.
Nduta’s case underscores the risks of international drug trafficking and the unforgiving nature of legal systems in many countries.
Written By Rodney Mbua
