Concerns regarding the fate of Kenyan citizens facing the death penalty overseas have been rekindled by the recent sentencing of 37-year-old Margaret Nduta Macharia to death in Vietnam.
Nduta’s case highlights the severe punishments meted out by other countries’ legal systems by joining an increasing number of Kenyans who have been given death sentences abroad for drug-related and other major offenses.
Malaysia, Rose Achieng Ojala, 2017
A Malaysian court condemned three-time mother Rose Achieng Ojala to death in 2017 for trafficking almost 400 grams of methamphetamine.
On November 30, 2013, Ojala arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and was detained.
Three methamphetamine tablets totaling more than 20 grams were discovered in her underpants during a personal search after immigration officials became suspicious of her behavior.
Ojala had ingested an additional 68 pills comprising 380 grams of the medication, according to additional medical investigations.
Ojala testified throughout the trial that she was forced to deliver the drugs by her lover.
However, the judge decided that the prosecution had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt and found her guilty in accordance with Malaysia’s Dangerous Drugs Act of 1962, which stipulates that drug trafficking carries the death penalty.
Ojala was given a three-year prison sentence in addition to the death penalty for having 20.7 grams of methamphetamine in her possession.
At the time of posting this article, it remained unclear whether Ojala was executed or if her sentence was reduced to life imprisonment.
Saudi Arabia, Stephen Bertrand Munyakho, 2024
50-year-old Kenyan Stephen Bertrand Munyakho almost escaped execution in Saudi Arabia after being found guilty of murder after a deadly fight with a Yemeni coworker in 2011.
Following Abdul Halim Mujahid Makrad Saleh’s death on April 9, 2011, due to a physical altercation, Munyakho was imprisoned for 13 years.
After the victim’s family successfully appealed the decision, his conviction—which had been first charged with manslaughter—was later increased to murder.
Senior Kenyan government officials engaged in intense diplomatic efforts, resulting in a reprieve from his scheduled execution by beheading on May 15, 2024.
In order to postpone the execution while talks went on, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collaborated closely with Saudi authorities.
Korir Sing’oei, the principal secretary for foreign affairs, revealed on May 14, 2025, that Saudi officials had agreed to Kenya’s request to delay the execution.
Munyakho must provide the deceased’s family $1.15 million, or roughly Ksh150 million, in blood money in order to obtain his freedom and prevent his execution.
After more talks, the family agreed to a lower amount than the $3.16 million (Ksh400 million) they had originally wanted.
Numerous fundraising initiatives have been started in reaction to his predicament, asking people to help with the payment.
In the meantime, civil society groups are still demanding that Munyakho be sent back to Kenya so that he can stand justice in Kenyan courts.
The public is still interested in Munyakho’s case, which has garnered a lot of publicity and calls for his release.
China, Floviance Razan Owino (2015)
Floviance Razan Owino received a death sentence in China in May 2015 for importing drugs.
In 2013, Owino left her one-year-old kid in Nairobi with the intention of working overseas.
After two years of no communication, her family received a mystery call from China informing them that she had been sentenced to death.
Owino was found guilty of cocaine trafficking after being detained in Guangzhou, China.
Chinese law frequently suspends death sentences for drug-related offenses for two years while they are reviewed.
Convicts may have their sentences reduced to life in jail if they behave well during this time.
After a successful appeal and diplomatic intervention, Owino’s sentence was ultimately lowered to life in prison.
Her family is still advocating for her return to Kenya in spite of this respite.
Vietnam, Margaret Nduta Macharia, 2025
A Vietnamese court found Margaret Nduta Macharia guilty of smuggling more than two kilograms of cocaine through Ho Chi Minh City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport and sentenced her to death on March 6, 2025.
The pills were found by authorities in a secret compartment of her luggage.
Vietnamese prosecutors contended that ignorance is not a valid defense due to the country’s strict responsibility laws, notwithstanding her assertion that she was unaware of the drugs.
According to Nduta’s legal team, she was coerced into delivering the bag in exchange for $1,300 (KSh168,571) by a man they only know as John.
The defense was rejected, nevertheless, because Vietnamese courts are notorious for their strict stance on drug-related offenses.
Since then, Nduta’s family in Kenya has pleaded with President William Ruto’s administration for diplomatic action.
Nonetheless, Vietnam has some of the worst drug regulations in the world; trafficking more than 600 grams of cocaine or heroin carries a mandatory death sentence.
These four Kenyans’ experiences demonstrate the vulnerabilities that foreign nationals encounter in nations with strict drug and criminal laws.
Human rights organizations and advocacy groups are still pleading with the Kenyan government to step up diplomatic efforts to defend its people who are facing the death penalty overseas.
The impacted families continue to hope that their loved ones will return home in the future.
