Gaala Adan murder: Witnesses recount final moments of 17-year-old girl in Wajir child marriage case

17-year-old Gaala Adan.

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Six witnesses, including Gaala’s mother, Amina Abdi Noor, her stepfather, Mahamud Mohamed, landlady Qurisha Ibrahim, two neighbours, and Corporal Lucas Musambi, the investigating officer, on Tuesday, recounted the events leading to her death.

Details of how a Seventeen-year-old Gaala Adan died under troubling circumstances have now come to light in the Garissa High Court, exposing a grim story of child marriage and domestic abuse within a refugee camp.

Her death sparked grief in her community and renewed focus on the dangers faced by young girls in vulnerable settings.

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Six witnesses, including Gaala’s mother, Amina Abdi Noor, her stepfather, Mahamud Mohamed, landlady Qurisha Ibrahim, two neighbours, and Corporal Lucas Musambi, the investigating officer, on Tuesday, recounted the events leading to her death.

Amina shared that her daughter, born on January 1, 2008, was married to the first accused, Mohammed Kassim Tiffow, on February 22, 2025, in a ceremony at Dagahaley Refugee Camp following Somali traditions.

She described how the marriage quickly turned hostile, with Gaala resisting the union and expressing regret.

In the days before her death, Gaala sent her mother several voice notes filled with fear and frustration over repeated abuse. Their last conversation took place on the night she died.

One neighbour told the court that, on the evening of the incident, an accused informed him that Mohammed had been stabbed by his wife.

Upon rushing to the scene, they found Mohammed outside with stab wounds and took him to the hospital. Returning to the house, they discovered it was on fire with Gaala trapped inside.

Six witnesses testify in murder trial of 17-year-old refugee in Garissa.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has presented six witnesses before the Garissa High Court in a case where a husband and two others are accused of murdering 17-year-old refugee girl, Gaala Adan.… pic.twitter.com/AsqmLryGYP
— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) October 7, 2025

Despite efforts to save her, she sustained severe burns and died shortly afterwards.

Stepfather Mahamud Mohamed described the heartbreak of seeing her body, which was so badly burnt that he could not recognise her.

He also revealed that he had been aware of the abuse in her marriage, adding to the family’s anguish.

Corporal Musambi, the investigating officer, said that police recovered a knife, documented the scene, and collected critical evidence.

He attended the postmortem conducted on March 22, 2025, and confirmed that statements were recorded from all witnesses. The three accused were later arrested and initially arraigned in Wajir Magistrate’s Court before the case was transferred to Garissa High Court.

Mohammed, Mussa Sheikh Ahmed, and Adan Mohamme Ahmed face charges of murdering Gaala on March 22, 2025, at Lolkuta South Sublocation, Wara Location, Hadado Subcounty, Wajir County.