Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei says a Kenyan team from Bangkok has secured travel visas and visited Hoi Chi Minh Prison in Vietnam, where Margaret Nduta, a Kenyan imprisoned on drug-related charges, is being held.
In a statement, Sing’oei confirmed that Nduta is alive and coping.
He disclosed that she was convicted without legal representation but a recently filed appeal is set for hearing soon.
“We can confirm that while deeply distressed, Margaret is coping and has been treated humanely. Though she was not represented by counsel during trial, an appeal filed a few days ago will be heard soon,” Sing’oei said in a social media update.
“In the meantime, we continue to engage our Vietnamese counterparts on other options for resolving this difficult matter,” he added.
Nduta was arrested in 2023 upon arrival at an airport in Vietnam’s capital after being found with two kilograms of cocaine. However, her family insists she was set up.
“Kenyans are strongly advised not to be tempted or lured into any form of drug or human trafficking. It is an extremely dangerous and costly misadventure,” Sing’oei warned.
Vietnam has some of the strictest drug-related laws globally, with penalties ranging from long-term imprisonment to the death sentence for severe offenses.
By Prudence Wanza
