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Acting Elections Manager for Kilifi county Aisha Akinyi Abubakar who was attacked and killed by unknown assailants at her Utange home on Sunday morning has been laid to rest at Kikowani Cemetery in Mombasa in an emotional send off that left her family and residents in tears.

 Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) CEO Marjan Hussein Marjan condemned the killing of the official and called on security agencies in the country to expeditiously delve into the heinous act and ensure that the killers are apprehended and brought to book.

Addressing the press at the deceased’s home in Utange, Marjan described the killing as “horrendous, unfortunate and a painful loss.”

The CEO at the same time noted that the commission cannot rule out a possibility that the slain officer could have been profiled and targeted by her assailants as a result of her role in IEBC.

“Information we received is that the people who actually broke into the place, stole a couple of things including the official tools and documents that are used in her daily operations.  So we cannot rule out that probably there is something to do with that…” the IEBC boss told the press in Utange.

According to Marjan, reports received by the Commission indicate that Aisha was murdered on the night of January 4, 2025 at her house in Utange, Kisauni Constituency, Mombasa County.

She was attacked alongside her son who sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving attention and treatment.

During the violent dawn attack, two assailants are reported to have gained unauthorized access to the Utange residence of the officer at around 3.00am, where they unleashed a brutal attack on her leaving her for dead.

Mombasa County Commander Peter Kimani reported that  preliminary investigations established that two individuals accessed the house through a kitchen window. One of the attackers was hooded with a mask and armed with a crowbar and the second attacker was welding a knife.

After accessing the residence, they launched a vicious assault on the 48-year-old officer, leaving her with multiple stab wounds and deep cuts above her right eye.

Currently hospitalised

 Her 18-year-old son, Kassim Hassan who is currently hospitalized in stable condition at Premier Hospital, Nyali, was attacked by the perpetrators while responding to his mother’s distress calls and sustained injuries.

Amidst the outpouring of emotions, leaders, residents and civil society organisations have continued to condemn the murder which has also been blamed for rising insecurity in Mombasa, predominantly in Kisauni.

Founder and Executive Director at Sisters for Justice Naila Abdallah Mohamed, was concerned that Kisauni has become a fertile ground where juvenile gangs are bred and nurtured.

“Insecurity in Kisauni deteriorates by the day and this is unacceptable. We cannot sit and watch as people including women lose lives in the hands of gangs” she said.

 Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba also asked police to speedily track down the perpetrators to ensure such kind of attack does not reoccur in the near future.

“Security had started improving in Kisauni but now the situation is fast backsliding. All the security agents including DCI, NIS, General Duty Officers and the rest must get to the bottom of the matter. They must come here and find out which networks were at the scene during the time of the attack,” Bedzimba said.

Marjan said Aisha joined the Commission in 2012 as a Constituency Elections Coordinator for Nyali and was first deployed to Kilifi South.

“She has diligently served the Commission and risen through the ranks to the position of Acting County Elections Manager – Kilifi. Ms. Aisha was a well-trained officer who performed all her duties with utmost honesty, integrity and dedication. The IEBC fraternity is saddened by her death and expresses its deepest condolences to Ms. Aisha’s family, friends and colleagues for the tragic loss. The IEBC assures the family and friends that it will journey with them during this period of profound sorrow,” stated Marjan.