Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili popularly known as Babu Owino has made a heartfelt appeal to President William Ruto, urging him to intervene in the case of Margaret Nduta, a 37-year-old Kenyan woman facing execution by lethal injection in Vietnam over drug trafficking charges.
MP Babu Owino has called on President Ruto to use his diplomatic power and reach out to the Vietnamese authorities to save Margaret from the de,ath penalty.
"We should not lose a Kenyan, Mr. President. You need to act with urgency and help Margaret Nduta. She should not be hanged, and I know you can pick up your phone and call the Vietnamese government. We cannot afford to lose this lady. As Kenyans, we need to unite behind her because she is one of us" Babu Said.
He further suggested that if negotiations were required, Kenya could even exchange a corrupt government official for her freedom.
"Even if it means exchanging one of the corrupt Cabinet Secretaries with her, let’s do whatever it takes to save Margaret’s life."
Several Leaders including Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, Sabina Chege and Kisii Senator have also urged the government to assist.
In a Letter addressed to the President, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka said the situation is distressing and calls for immediate diplomatic intervention.
“While acknowledging the sovereignty of the Vietnamese judicial system, the Government of Kenya must intervene to ensure that Ms. Macharia’s life is preserved and that she is given an opportunity to serve an appropriate sentence in her home country under Kenyan law,” read the statement in part.
Additionally, the Kisii Senator urged President Ruto’s government to engage with the Vietnam authorities to facilitate her repatriation to Kenya through diplomatic negotiations.
Her repatriation, would allow Nduta to be prosecuted and sentenced under the Kenyan law.
The Kisii Senator, also wants Kenya to engage the United Nations and international human rights bodies to support Kenya’s plea for clemency and fair treatment of its citizens facing harsh penalties abroad.
“Kenya has, on numerous occasions, stood for justice and the humane treatment of its citizens worldwide. It is my sincere hope that, through your leadership, a diplomatic resolution can be reached to save Ms. Macharia’s life and allow her to face justice in her home country,” said Onyonka.
Her mother, Purity Wangui, is heartbroken and determined to see her daughter one last time, though she has no means to travel to Vietnam.
“I must see her before they hang her,” Wangui says.
Struggling to come to terms with the situation, she questions how her daughter, whom she raised with Christian values, could have ended up in such circumstances.
“Maybe she was framed, or she got into bad company. I have brought her up with strict Christian values. I am sorry on her behalf. I urge President William Ruto, through my MP Ndindi Nyoro, to take up her case, let my daughter be brought back home and be jailed here.”
Nduta’s family is struggling to understand how she ended up in this situation.
According to Alex Murumba, a relative, the family is urging Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to intervene.
“We are devastated as a family. We are not sure that Nduta, who we know as a straightforward daughter who only ventured out of the country in 2023 to seek her fortune, became a drug peddler.”
Nduta was convicted on March 6 for trafficking two kilos of cocaine and is now facing execution, likely by lethal injection today.
She was arrested in July 2023 while traveling to Laos, A City in Asia.
Nduta maintains her innocence, claiming she had no idea she was carrying drugs. She said she was hired by a Kenyan man known only as John to deliver a suitcase to a woman at the airport, after which she would collect a package to bring back home.
She had received Sh167,000 as advance payment, with her flights fully covered. Having passed security checks at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Ethiopia, and Qatar, she was shocked to be arrested upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh City.
Vietnam has some of the strictest drug laws in the world. Anyone caught smuggling more than 600 grams of heroin or cocaine faces the death penalty.
The country is a key transit point for narcotics, making it a high-risk area for drug-related crimes.
