Three charged with refugee girl's murder in Garissa

However, the suspects did not plead to the charges and were remanded until May 15.

by STEPHEN ASTARIKO

Realtime07 May 2025 - 20:20

In Summary

Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed and Adan Mohammed are accused of murdering 17-year-old Gaala Adan on March 22, 2025.
The accused persons were remanded at the Garissa GK Prison until May 15, 2025, when the case will be mentioned.

Three men have been formally charged at the Garissa High Court with the murder of a 17-year-old refugee girl, Gaala Adan.

However, the three - Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed and Adan Mohammed - did not plead to the charges.

They are accused of murdering the teenager on March 22, 2025, in Lolkuta South sublocation of Hadado subcounty in Wajir county in what prosecutors say was a brutal killing following a forced and allegedly abusive marriage.

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

The accused persons were remanded at the Garissa GK Prison until May 15, 2025, when the case will be mentioned.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the charges followed a postmortem examination that was ordered after Gaala’s body was exhumed under a directive by the DPP.

The investigation revealed that the deceased, born on January 1, 2008, had been married to the first accused, Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, a 40-year-old man, in a ceremony conducted on February 22, 2025, at Dagahaley Refugee Camp — a marriage performed under Somali customary rites.

However, the prosecution alleges that soon after the marriage, the girl attempted to reject the union.

This decision is believed to have sparked violent altercations, culminating in her death barely a month later.

The case shocked the nation and drew attention to continued vulnerability of young girls in refugee settings, particularly within cultural frameworks that expose them to exploitation under the guise of tradition.