Margaret Nduta, A Kenyan Woman from Murang'a Charged with Drug Trafficking after She Was Arrested at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Vietnam With 2 Kgs of Cocaine, is set to be Executed today, 8PM.

Nduta was hired in July 2023 by a fellow Kenyan, only identified as 'John' apparently a Stranger, to transport a suitcase to Laos, a country in Asia.

According to the indictment, she was instructed to hand over the suitcase to a woman in Laos and then return with unspecified ‘goods’.

Nduta was reportedly paid downpayment of $1,300 (approximately Ksh168,000) for the task, and her travel expenses, including plane tickets fully covered. Balance of Ksh 133,000 was to be paid after the package was delivered safely.

According to Vietnamese authorities, Nduta’s journey involved traveling through multiple countries before she arrived at Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) on July 14, 2023.

Nduta’s journey took her through multiple airports—Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Bole International Airport in Ethiopia, and Hamad International Airport in Qatar—without detection.

Due to a late arrival, airport staff assisted her in completing immigration procedures so they could help her book a flight to Laos. 

However, during the process, customs officials discovered over two kilograms of illicit drugs concealed in her suitcase.

In her defense, Nduta claimed she was unaware that the suitcase contained drugs when she received it. 

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However, prosecutors argued that this statement was an attempt to evade responsibility, asserting that she was accountable for the illegal substances she transported. 

The court ultimately found her guilty and handed down a death sentence on Thursday, March 6, 2025. With Her Appeal, set for March 12, expiring, she faces execution, "Kunyongwa" or "lethal injection" within the next 24 Hours.

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.”

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.

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.”

The urgency of the case has left the family frustrated. “We learnt of the sentencing on March 8. Today is March 11. It means we only have until March 12 to help her appeal. The government should help us do so,” Murumba says.

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Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has also urged the government to assist in the appeal process. “The government should help Nduta appeal, win the case, and be reunited with her family.”

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.