A 13-year-old boy has provided harrowing testimony describing how he watched his uncle allegedly strangle and defile his 17-year-old sister in Garissa County.
The minor, testifying as the first prosecution witness before Justice John Onyiengo at the Garissa High Court, recounted events from the night of November 16, 2025, at Borehole 5 in Fafi Sub-County.
The accused, Shafa Bilal Shaklane, 26, a community health volunteer, faces murder charges for allegedly killing Safiya Hussein Bilal. The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to the boy's testimony, the incident occurred hours after he and his sister returned from visiting another uncle.
The boy told Principal Prosecution Counsel Bernard Owuor that his sister was lying on a mattress when their paternal uncle arrived and slept nearby.
The boy said he was awakened by unusual commotion in the middle of the night.
He pretended to sleep while witnessing the accused allegedly touch his sister's chest as she struggled.
The boy told the court that he pretended to be asleep as he watched the events unfold in full glare of solar lighting system inside the house.
He added that his sister kicked the wall as she struggled, but the accused covered her mouth and strangled her until she stopped breathing.
The court heard that after the girl died, the accused allegedly undressed both himself and the deceased before defiling her on multiple occasions.
According to the court proceedings, the accused then threatened to kill the minor if he revealed what had happened.
At dawn, the accused took the boy to the mosque for prayers before sending him to call their aunt, Arabel Bilal, who discovered the body.
Police were alerted after members of the public noticed marks and bloodstains on the deceased's neck, but the accused had already fled.
The children's mother is deceased, and their father was away during the incident.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has lined up nine witnesses, with the minor testifying under special protection measures.
The defence had sought to defer the plea, citing a mental assessment report indicating the accused's khat abuse exposed him to mild mental psychopathology.
However, Owuor opposed this, stating that "the condition does not interfere with his mental status and does not affect his capacity to stand trial."
The court granted the accused bond of Ksh 1 million with similar surety. Further hearing is set for February 18, 2026.
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