Body of 17-year-old Gaala Abdi killed for rejecting forced marriage to be exhumed today

Gaala Aden Abdi, 17, who was killed and her body set on fire for refusing to marry a 55-year-old man in Wajir County. (Screengrab)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Tuesday, April 15, 2025

The family of Gaala Aden Abdi, a 17-year-old girl allegedly killed for resisting a forced marriage, will finally get a chance at justice as her body is set to be exhumed on Tuesday for a postmortem.

Gaala was buried in March under unclear circumstances in Wajir County. Her death sparked outrage, with claims that she was murdered after refusing to marry a 55-year-old man. Her remains were burned beyond recognition.

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The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) secured a court order to allow a postmortem, which will be carried out by both a government and a private pathologist.

The Eastleigh Voice has learnt that one of the pathologists is already in Wajir, while the other is expected to arrive at Daadab Refugee Camp.

Human rights activists, civil society groups and the National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) have demanded the exhumation, saying there was a clear attempt to cover up what happened.

Gaala, who lived in a refugee camp, was reportedly killed on March 27. According to family members, the marriage was arranged without her knowledge. “They crafted a story to make it appear as though she committed suicide,” said her relative Issa Mohamed.

He said the man’s family claimed Gaala had attacked him with a knife and, thinking he was badly hurt, set herself on fire. However, Issa said the story was made up to escape blame.

NGEC chairperson Rehema Jaldesa, who travelled to Wajir to follow up on the case, said the claims were false.

“I went to Wajir, and the first thing I noticed is that the community, including the local chief, had quickly shifted the narrative from murder to suicide, which is extremely unfortunate,” she said.

According to Rehema, the girl was beaten by three men, the man she was to marry and his two brothers, before they set her body on fire. She added that witnesses saw the assault.

“To cover up the crime, they set her body on fire and made small cuts on the husband’s hand and waist to make it look like she had attacked him,” she explained.

Rehema also revealed that Gaala had tried to get help several times, even sending voice recordings.

“Her relatives received calls, including recordings of the girl being tortured. She even told her mother, ‘They are killing me, they are torturing me, this is what they are doing.’ Yet, no one came to her rescue,” she said.

The incident has raised concerns about gender-based violence, forced marriages, and the failure of communities and authorities to protect girls. Rehema said the girl had no knowledge of the planned marriage and was never consulted.

“Some elders and the man’s relatives arranged the marriage without the girl’s knowledge. She was treated like a commodity, and no one even told her the man was 55 years old,” Rehema said.