The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has charged three men at the Garissa High Court with the alleged murder of a 17-year-old refugee girl in Wajir County.

Principal Prosecution Counsel Mr. Benard Owuor informed the court that Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed, and Adan Mohamme Ahmed are accused of murdering Gaala Adan on 22nd March 2025 at Lolkuta South Sub-location, Wara Location, Hadado Sub-County, within Wajir County.

The suspects were charged after the DPP directed the investigating officers to exhume the deceased’s body and conduct a proper postmortem examination by a government pathologist to establish the actual cause of death.

The deceased, born on 1st January 2008, had been married to the first accused, Mohammed Kassim Tiffow (aged 40), in a ceremony held in accordance with Somali rites on 22nd February 2025 at Dagahaley Refugee Camp.

It is alleged that the marriage quickly turned sour, resulting to physical violence after the deceased reportedly changed her mind and turned down the marriage.

All three accused pleaded not guilty to the charges before Justice John Onyiego.

The court directed that a pre-bail report be filed in court before making a ruling on bond and bail terms.

The accused persons will be remanded at Garissa GK prison until 15th May 2025, when the case will come for a mention.

What happened?

Adan Gaala was a refugee from Dadaab Refugee Camp, whose life was tragically taken on March 22, 2025, in Ademasajida, Wajir County.

Gaala’s last moments were filled with terror, as she pleaded for help in her own voice recording to her mother, detailing the abuse she endured for refusing a forced marriage.

Her body was discovered burnt beyond recognition, suffering from severe burns, a spinal injury, and numerous stab wounds, a chilling indication of the brutal violence she endured.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) strongly condemned the heinous crime and demanded action to be taken against the perpetrators of this brutal act.