The three murder suspects, Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed and Adan Mohammed at the Garissa High Court, May 7, 2025. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO
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.Rights groups have condemned the incident and called for
urgent reforms to protect young girls from child marriage and abuse in refugee
camps, where cultural practices often go unchecked by law enforcement.Garissa High Court Judge Justice John Onyiego on May 7, 2025. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO
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.
A police officer handcurfs the three suspects after they were charged with the murder of 17-year-old refugee girl, Gaala Adan, May 7, 2025. /STEPHEN ASTARIKO