A 26-year-old community health volunteer has been charged at the Garissa High Court with the murder of his 17-year-old niece in a case that has shocked residents of Fafi Sub-County, Garissa County.
Shafa Bilal Shaklane was on Tuesday arraigned before High Court Judge Justice John Onyiego to answer one count of murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly defiled the minor before strangling her to death and later attempted to conceal the crime by orchestrating a failed plan to secretly bury the body.
The court heard that the accused allegedly misled three individuals who were initially arrested in connection with the incident, informing them that the deceased had died of dengue fever. He allegedly sought their assistance to wash and shroud the body in preparation for an Islamic burial.
Those three individuals have since been released and turned into prosecution witnesses.
Principal Prosecution Counsel Bernard Owuor told the court that the Director of Public Prosecutions had approved murder charges against the accused following investigations into the death of Safiya Hussein Bilal.
The prosecution alleged that the murder occurred on November 16, 2025, at around midnight at Borehole 5 in Fafi Sub-County.
During the proceedings, the defence raised an objection seeking to stop the accused from taking plea, citing a mental assessment report which indicated that Shaklane suffers from a mild form of mental psychopathology attributed to psychoactive substance abuse, specifically khat.
The defence urged the court to defer plea-taking and order a second mental assessment to ascertain the accused’s mental fitness.
However, Mr Owuor opposed the application, arguing that the mental assessment report clearly concluded that the accused was fit to stand trial as he understood the nature of the charges facing him.
“The report states that the condition does not interfere with his mental status and does not affect his capacity to stand trial. The purpose of such an assessment is to determine fitness, and the accused has been found fit,” Mr Owuor submitted.
The prosecution further noted that the accused demonstrated mental clarity when questioned by the court regarding his personal background and understanding of the proceedings.
“I am a community health worker and a father of two, including a minor who is yet to start schooling,” the accused told the court when prompted by the judge.
Justice Onyiego ruled that the accused was mentally fit to take plea and directed that plea-taking proceed.
Shaklane pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.
prosecution informed the court that it intends to call nine witnesses to testify in the case, including a 13-year-old minor who is under protection.
Justice Onyiego directed that the child witness be presented before the court later in the day to give testimony, in line with resolutions by the local Court Users Committee prioritising cases involving child witnesses.
The matter will be mentioned for further directions.
By Erick Kyalo
