Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

- A 17-year-old girl from Dadaab refugee camp has been brutally murdered and her body set on fire after allegedly refusing to marry a 55-year-old man.

Gaala Aden Abdi's fate was sealed the moment she was handed over to Mohamed Kassim Tifo, a man nearly four decades her senior.

Under the cover of darkness, the minor was taken from her home in Dagahaley Camp and transported 150 kilometers away to a remote village in Habaswein.

It was there that she met her would-be husband for the first time, but she immediately showed her disapproval of the arrangement.

Upon arrival, Gaala resisted the marriage, but her fear and refusal met with hostility, leading to 27 days of agony before her killing.

In a heart-wrenching voice recording sent to her mother, she described her suffering, detailing how she endured beatings, but her cries for help were met with silence.

"24 hours I'm being beaten. This is not a man. I was betrayed into marrying this herder. Why is my face swollen? I don't have a man here. He gets your support every time. No one wants to listen to me. Every sunset when I get to that house, I get beaten," she lamented.

On the night of Saturday, March 22, Gaala made a final, desperate call to her mother and stepfather.

Voiced filled with terror, she claimed that her phone was being taken away by her husband's kin as they attacked her.

Hours later, her family received another call—this time, delivering the news of her brutal death.

According to her mother, Amina Abdi Nur, multiple individuals were involved in her daughter’s murder.

"Late night, when people were coming from night prayer at 10pm, she called saying they have started knifing me and my phone is being taken away. At around 2am, I received a call saying my daughter was butchered. Then they placed her on a mattress with a bag and burnt her. The Somali knife was collected from the scene," Amina cried.

She named Mohamed Kassim Tifo, as the main suspect, along with his brother Musa Tifo Kassim and another relative, Abdullahi Kassim Tifo, who had earlier warned her that Gaala would never return to the refugee camp.

Medical documents paint a horrifying picture of Gaala's final moments and the extent of the brutality meted out to her.

The post-mortem report, dated March 22, 2025, revealed that Gaala had suffered extensive 100-degree burns and spinal injuries.

Her clothing bore blood and body fluid stains, suggesting she may have been killed before being set on fire.

Police have since arrested Mohamed Kassim Tifo as investigations into the gruesome murder continue.

Elsewhere, a Meru man was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife and concealing her body in drainage pipes.

Police discovered the decomposing remains after neighbors reported a foul smell near their home.

The suspect claimed the death resulted from a domestic dispute gone wrong.

Source: TUKO.co.ke