Husband, 2 Men Charged With Murder Of 17-Year-Old Wife

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has formally charged three men with the alleged murder of a 17-year-old refugee girl, Gaala Adan, in Wajir County.

The suspects—Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed, and Adan Mohamme Ahmed—appeared before the Garissa High Court on Tuesday, May 6, to answer to the charges, according to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Wednesday, May 7.

Principal Prosecution Counsel Benard Owuor informed the court that the three are accused of murdering the teenager on March 22, 2025, at Lolkuta South Sub-location, Wara Location, Hadado Sub-county in Wajir County.

The prosecution disclosed that the charges followed a directive from the DPP to exhume the deceased’s body for a comprehensive postmortem examination by a government pathologist to determine the actual cause of death.

Three men linked to the murder of a 17-year-old girl in Wajir County in March this year arraigned in court on May 6, 2025. /ODPP

According to court documents, the deceased, born on January 1, 2008, had been married to the first accused, Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, 40, in a customary ceremony held on February 22, 2025, at the Dagahaley Refugee Camp, conducted in accordance with Somali rites.

It is alleged that the marriage deteriorated shortly thereafter, reportedly leading to physical violence after the minor expressed a desire to withdraw from the union.

All three accused pleaded not guilty before Justice John Onyiego. The court directed the preparation and submission of a pre-bail report prior to making a determination on bond or bail conditions.

The suspects have been remanded at Garissa GK Prison until May 15, 2025, when the matter will be mentioned in court.

Before her death, Adan left several voicemails for her mother, tearfully describing the daily physical abuse she endured at the hands of her husband and his relatives.

She expressed her desire to leave the marriage, saying she would rather return to the refugee camp where she had previously lived.

Shortly before her death, Adan told her mother that her abusers were taking away her phone, preventing her from communicating. Later, her mother received a devastating call informing her that there was no need to visit her daughter anymore—she had been murdered.

The incident sparked widespread criticism across the country, with organisations such as the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) and the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) condemning the brutal killing of Gaala, who was burned beyond recognition in Wajir County for resisting a forced marriage to the 55-year-old man.

The gender commission called for a prompt and thorough investigation, describing the murder as a blatant violation of the teenager’s rights, including those of children, women, and refugees.

Many Kenyans also took to social media, creating hashtags and protesting in the streets to demand justice. This occurred amid a surge in femicide cases nationwide, prompting the Cabinet to approve the formation of a body to address the rising violence against women.