Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has dismissed a recent BBC documentary on alleged child sexual exploitation in Mai Mahiu, describing it as fabricated and misleading.
Speaking on Wednesday, August 13, Murkomen said investigations had revealed that those featured in the documentary were not minors, as claimed in the report.
"We are confirming that the entire report (BBC documentary) was fake because the people who were interviewed are not underage.
"That is why I went the whole length to read their pseudo names, who they are and what they do, and what was the motivating factor when they were posing as children," he stated.
Murkomen insisted the documentary was deliberately staged to create a false impression of rampant sexual abuse of minors in the area.
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"As far as the BBC documentary is concerned, it was a hoax. It was planned and executed in a manner to portray that there were underage girls that were going through sexual exploitation while in reality the people [acting] knew that they were not," he added.
Murkomen, however, acknowledged that while the specific allegations in the BBC report were untrue, cases of sexual exploitation involving young people do exist.
"That is not to say that there may be no cases of sexual exploitation of young people in the country. The security agencies including the anti-trafficking unit have done tremendous work to make sure that these incidences are managed," he said.
The documentary, Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade, brought to light the sexual exploitation of minors in Maai Mahiu, a busy transit town in Nakuru County.
The investigative piece follows two undercover investigators who infiltrated the trade, interacting with women known as 'madams' who admitted to luring children into sex work using sweets and other small inducements.
The documentary sparked intense public outrage and prompted action from authorities, including the National Police Service.
In a statement on Wednesday, August 6, the NPS acknowledged the severity of the revelations, and assured the public that law enforcement agencies are addressing the situation.
"The National Police Service (NPS) has taken note of the BBC Africa Eye documentary titled "Madams: Exposing Kenya's Child Sex Trade." We recognise the urgency and gravity of the issues raised and are treating them with the seriousness they deserve.
"In direct response to the documentary, a multi-agency team—including specialised officers from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHTCPU)—has been deployed to Maai Mahiu, where statements have been taken from three persons of interest. Immediate steps have also been taken to identify, rescue, and support the affected children. Investigations are ongoing, with the aim of arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators," the statement read.
NPS further acknowledged the growing concern of digital exploitation, revealing that it has developed a new cybercrime unit to combat online child sexual abuse materials and identify victims.
"We also recognise the growing threat of online child sexual exploitation, which prompted the establishment of a dedicated forensic cybercrime unit—the first of its kind in Africa—linked directly to INTERPOL's International Child Sexual Exploitation (ICSE) database.
"This unit, staffed by cybercrime experts, works closely with the International Victim Identification Network (VIN) to identify and rescue children depicted in exploitative online content," the statement added.
