Faith Chandianya, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and Current Affairs in Kenya

Philanthropist and businesswoman Agnes Kagure has condemned the brutal killing of 17-year-old Gaala Aden Abdi.

The teenage refugee was reportedly killed after refusing to marry a 55-year-old man.

The former Nairobi gubernatorial candidate took to social media to express shock over how an underage girl could be forced into marriage in the present century.

Kagure condemned those involved in the brutal murder, calling the act a primitive form of behaviour.

" I am shocked to the core that an underage girl can be forced to marry in this day and age, and even meet harm and death on standing against such primitive practices," Kagure's statement read in part.

"This must not go unpunished. I urge the relevant agencies to move swiftly and deal firmly with the perpetrators. We must protect our girls from all forms of harm," she added.

Young Aden's fate was sealed when she was handed over to a man identified as Mohammed Kassim Tifo for marriage.

Aden was taken from her home in Dagahaley Camp and transported to a remote village in Habaswein, about 150 kilometers away.

There, she met her future husband for the first time, but immediately expressed her disapproval of the arranged marriage to a man nearly four decades older than her.

Her refusal to marry sparked intense hostility, leading to 27 days of beatings before she was brutally murdered.

Before her death, Aden sent a distressing voice recording to her mother, pleading for help. She described the daily mistreatment and beatings she endured.

On Saturday night, March 22, Aden made what would be her final call to her mother and stepfather, telling them she was being stabbed.

Aden said her phone was being taken away as her husband's relatives allegedly continued the attack.

The next call Aden's mother, Amina Abdi Nur, received informed her that her daughter had died. Amina later learned that Aden's body had been burned after she was brutally murdered.

She identified the deceased's husband, Mohamed Kassim Tifo, and his brother, Musa Tifo Kassim, as the main suspects in her daughter's murder.

An autopsy on Aden's body revealed the gruesome suffering she endured at the hands of her killers.

The report indicated that Aden sustained third-degree burns and spinal injuries. Her clothing was stained with blood and body fluids, suggesting she may have been killed before being set on fire.

Police have confirmed the arrest of Aden's husband as investigations into the case continue.

Source: TUKO.co.ke