Garissa: Man accused of murdering 17-year-old 'wife' released on Ksh.100K bond

Three suspects have been released on a Ksh.100,000 bond after pleading not guilty to charges of murdering 17-year-old refugee girl, Gaala Adan, in Wajir County on March 22, 2025.

Appearing before Justice John Onyiego of the Garissa High Court, the prosecution lined up six witnesses to testify against Mohammed Kassim Tiffow (husband to the deceased), Mussa Sheikh Ahmed, and Adan Mohamme Ahmed. 

The witnesses comprised the deceased’s mother, Amina Abdi Noor, her stepfather Mahamud Mohamed, landlady Qurisha Ibrahim, two neighbours, and Corporal Lucas Musambi, the investigating police officer.

The first witness, Noor, revealed how her 17-year-old daughter had a troubled marriage with Tiffow, which led to her demise. She stated that the woes began shortly after they got married at Dagahaley Refugee Camp in a ceremony conducted under Somali rites.

Noor pointed out that her daughter, who expressed resentment about the arrangement, kept sending her voice notes conveying fear and frustration.

Her sentiments were corroborated by the deceased’s stepfather, Mohamed, who recounted that he had been informed of persistent abuse in the marriage. 

One neighbour told the court that on the night of the incident, one of the accused persons informed him that Tiffow had been stabbed by his wife. 

On rushing to the scene, they found Tiffow outside the house with stab wounds and took him to the hospital. When they returned, they discovered that the house where the deceased had been locked inside was on fire. 

Their attempts to rescue the deceased were fortuitous, as she succumbed to severe burns. 

On his part, investigating officer Musambi testified that police recovered a knife at the scene, photographed the area, and collected key pieces of evidence. 

He also witnessed the postmortem, which was conducted on March 22, 2025, and later released the body for burial.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on November 4, 2025.