Interrior CS Kipchumba Murkomen appearing before Parliament on August 14, 2025. Photo PBU 
By Andrew Mbuva
The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen, has told the National Assembly that preliminary investigations have found some claims in a BBC Africa Eye documentary on alleged child sex trafficking in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, to be based on falsified information.
Appearing before MPs to respond to questions raised by Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, CS Murkomen addressed concerns following the airing of the documentary, “Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade”, on 4th August 2025. The film alleged the existence of a network of truck drivers and traffickers exploiting underage girls in the busy transit town.
Wangari sought clarity on the number of children allegedly trafficked, the perceived inaction by security agencies, and measures in place to rescue and rehabilitate victims.
In his response, CS Murkomen said the Ministry acted swiftly, deploying the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit on 6th August 2025 to investigate the allegations. Four witnesses — including two women featured in the BBC documentary — were interviewed, and their statements recorded.
“Investigations revealed that the individuals presented as underage victims were, in fact, adults engaged in commercial sex work. Some allegedly falsified their ages to fit the documentary’s narrative and qualify for a promised foreign sponsorship programme,” Murkomen told the House.
He explained that while the BBC team sought underage girls, some women misrepresented their ages to secure benefits promised by the producers. Fourteen witnesses have so far been interviewed, all key locations visited, and crime scene documentation completed. The BBC crew members involved, including a foreign national, have been identified, with police pursuing financial and call records to establish possible links. No arrests have been made, but investigations continue, including the search for missing witnesses.
Pressed by Wangari on rehabilitation measures for minors, Murkomen acknowledged that while child sexual exploitation cases do occur along the Northern Corridor, the Mai Mahiu exposé fell short of its intended purpose due to misleading accounts from some participants.
“Prostitution remains illegal in Kenya, yet it is openly practised, with inadequate control of lodging facilities. We have issued firm directives to security teams to take decisive action against child sexual exploitation and trafficking,” he said.
The Cabinet Secretary detailed ongoing interventions, including immediate rescue and safe placement of victims in children’s homes, rescue centres, and borstal institutions, provision of psychosocial support, and comprehensive medical care.
Wangari urged the government to take firm legal action against individuals found to have fabricated information for the documentary, warning that such actions undermine the fight against genuine cases of child exploitation.
