NAIROBI, Kenya – The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has called for the exhumation of 17-year-old Gaala Aden Abdi’s body, saying a postmortem is critical for investigating her brutal killing.
Gaala was reportedly murdered after refusing a forced marriage to a 55-year-old man.
Her body was then set on fire in what authorities say was an attempt to cover up the crime and pass it off as suicide.
NGEC Chairperson Rehema Jaldesa, who recently visited Wajir, said the burial was rushed, compromising the integrity of the investigation.
“I went to Wajir, and the first thing I noticed was that the community, including the local chief, quickly shifted the narrative from murder to suicide,” she told the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Technical Working Group.
“There were so many community members who were present when the girl was beaten by three men—the husband and his two brothers. They killed her.”
Jaldesa added that to mask the crime, the suspects inflicted self-injuries on the husband, then spread a false narrative that Gaala had set herself ablaze in guilt after attacking him.
“Without a postmortem, there is no evidence to prosecute,” she said. “I am appealing to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to exhume the body so we can determine the cause of death.”
The Commission raised alarm over attempts by local elders to resolve the case through Masala—a traditional conflict resolution mechanism involving financial compensation.
“Masala is allowed by law, but it is meant for social issues. It cannot apply in cases of murder or GBV,” Jaldesa said.
The 17-year-old had been transported at night from Dagahley refugee camp to the remote village of Wara in Habaswein to meet her husband for the first time.
After resisting the union, she was allegedly beaten to death.
According to Rehema, Gaala made several distress calls before her death—some of which were recorded—detailing the abuse and naming her attackers.
“She told her mother, ‘They are killing me, they are torturing me.’ Yet no one came to her rescue,” Jaldesa said.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage, highlighting the systemic failures in protecting girls and young women from gender-based violence.
GBV taskforce chairperson Nancy Baraza echoed Jaldesa’s call for urgency and transparency, stressing the need for a thorough investigation.
“That body was quickly buried without a postmortem. And that may confuse things when it comes to evidence,” she said. “We want to urge the IG and his office to quickly readjust, so a message goes to police at all levels that matters of GBV and femicide must be responded to in the fastest and most sensitive manner possible.”
Baraza also raised concerns about the inconsistent attitudes of law enforcement officers toward GBV cases.
“Some police do a good job, but others don’t think this is an issue that warrants attention.”
She warned that cases of femicide and GBV were rising, with girls and women between the ages of 15 and 35 most affected.
“We just saw a case of a Multimedia University student whose body was found in a water tank. Another one walked with body parts, with blood dripping. That’s how callous we’ve become with the lives of women and girls.”
The GBV taskforce is seeking a one-month extension of its term beyond the April 9 deadline to complete public hearings and compile its final report.
“We’ve received a lot of memoranda and done extensive reviews. What remains is going to the counties, which is a constitutional mandate,” said Baraza. “We will put in our progress report to justify that request—we can’t leave out those Kenyans.”
