A 15-year-old Grade 9 learner, Safiya Abdi Bilal, was brutally raped and killed on the night of November 15, 2025, in Hagadera, Fafi Sub-county.
Her murder has sparked widespread grief and furious demands for justice across Garissa County.
She was a student at Borehole 5 Primary & Junior School, and had completed her Kenya Junior Secondary Education Assessment (KJSEA) just 12 days earlier on November 3.
According to police and school reports, the teenager was attacked by a close family guardian who was living in the same household.
The suspect, along with three other individuals who allegedly attempted to conceal the victim’s body, were arrested on November 16 and are being held at Hagadera Police Station.
The case has been transferred to the Divisional Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) for further probe, with the main suspect expected to appear in court once charging formalities are complete.
In a statement dated November 16, the school’s Head of Institution, Khalif A. Hassan, expressed profound sorrow:
“It is with deep regret that we announce the tragic loss of our promising Grade 9 learner, Safiya Abdi Bilal. This beastly and heinous act is a gross violation of a child’s dignity. We call on the government to ensure swift and transparent justice,” he said.
Muktar Dahir, the chairperson of the Garissa Human Rights Defenders Network, condemned the incident and called for immediate action.
“We stand in solidarity with the family and demand that all perpetrators face the full force of the law without delay or interference. Protecting children is a constitutional duty; any failure sends a message of impunity.”
Garissa County Director of Education, Abdihamid Maalim Ali, described the incident as “heartbreaking” and urged families to intensify protection of children during the ongoing long holiday.
The family of the deceased, still in deep shock, declined to speak to the media.
The killing has reignited urgent concerns over child safety, particularly the rising cases of sexual violence against girls by people known to them within the home environment. Safiya’s killer was a family guardian.
Suleiman Adan, an educationist, called for stronger coordination between security agencies, schools, and child-protection units to prevent such tragedies.
The tragic killing of Safiya Abdi Bilal in Hagadera exposes the scale of sexual violence against girls in Kenya. The 2019 Violence Against Children Survey shows one in three girls faces sexual abuse before age 18.
About 32% of girls are affected and nearly 16% of women report sexual violence in childhood. Most cases involve repeated assault.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, Kenya recorded 1,378 defilement cases and 682 rapes. Most victims were minors.
Across the country, over 40% of women aged 15–49 have suffered violence from intimate partners.
In Garissa, cultural practices often hide cases instead of reporting them, the survey found.
