Wajir teacher convicted of murdering 16-year-old girl

A Wajir teacher who killed a 16-year-old girl now awaits sentencing upon being convicted of her murder.

Noor Ahmed Ismail was found guilty by Justice John Onyiego of Garissa High Court after a trial that lasted eight years.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) had called nine witnesses to prove its case against Noor.

Noor killed the minor in the Kotulo sub-location of Tarbaj Sub County on May 12, 2016.

The girl, GNA, was found dead by a woman in the area who later reported the incident to other villagers.

Villagers and elders traced footmarks of gumboots that led them to Noor's home who was later identified as the prime suspect.

The elders also recovered a blood-stained knife used to kill GNA and gumboots that Ismail wore which were also soiled with blood.

The ODPP relied heavily on investigations by government scientists Elizabeth Waithera and William Munyoki both attached to the Government Chemist, and Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor to prove its case against Noor.

Postmortem

Dr Oduor told the trial court that he conducted a postmortem on the body of the GNA and although the body was partially decomposed, there was an incised wound from the neck of the deceased and two stab wounds on the side of the chest.

But he told the court that due to religious reasons, he did not open the body of the deceased but he still formed the opinion that the cause of the death was as a result of multiple injuries due to a penetrating trauma.

The postmortem report was presented as the first exhibit in the case.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had submitted the blood-stained dress that GNA wore on the day she was killed together with the blood-stained knife, gumboots and a kikoi that were recovered from Noor's house for analysis. Noor had worn the kikoi on the day he killed the minor.

Investigations through DNA established that blood stains on all items submitted by the DCI were from the same person and the ODPP submitted the findings in the court as exhibits.

Munyoki, a government analyst was tasked with ascertaining whether soil samples collected from GNA's dress and Noor's gumboots matched and his investigations established that the soil stains on both items were from the same geographical area.

At the end of the trial, Justice Onyiego said the evidence of Dr. Oduor who conducted the autopsy indicated that GNA died as a result of multiple injuries due to penetrating trauma.

"From this piece of evidence, it cannot be denied that the accused person must have intended to cause the deceased grievous harm or death hence proof of malice aforethought," stated the judge.

Area assistant chief Isaack Sheikh Osman led the administration police officers to Noor's home where they found him asleep.

Noor was arrested and later showed the administrator and the police the gumboots under his bed and other items including the knife.

It later emerged that Noor was among the villagers who were looking for GNA's killer and was at some point removed from the search team and told to go home because he looked stressed and restless during the exercise.

The minor's father also testified in court that his daughter had previously confided in him that Noor was making advances at her.

He told the court that he had withdrawn his child from school five days before she was killed. GNA's father and Noor were related and their homes were about 70 meters from each other.

"In the end, I find that the prosecution has proved the case of murder against the accused person (Noor) and I therefore find him guilty as charged and convict him accordingly," ruled Justice Onyiego.