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CS Kipchumba Murkomen. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen, has publicly denounced a recent BBC Africa Eye documentary titled "Madams: Exposing Kenya's Child Sex Trade" as a fabricated narrative aimed at tarnishing the country's image.
The documentary, released on August 4, 2025, exposed a disturbing network of women, referred to as "madams," who facilitate the trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls as young as 13 in the town of Maai Mahiu.
During a session in Parliament on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Murkomen asserted that the documentary was a "hoax," claiming that the girls featured were not underage and had been paid to participate in the expose.
Murkomen claims that the BBC documentary on sex trafficking was a hoax, and the civtims interviewed as well as the 'madams' were promised money to appear in the expose. I'm lost of words! Hawa ni kina nani mlichagua??? pic.twitter.com/HntbzhLmL6
- J. (@Jahmu__) August 13, 2025
"The BBC documentary on child sex trafficking was a hoax. Those girls were not underage and they were paid," Murkomen stated.
The BBC's investigation, which involved months of undercover work, revealed how these "madams" operate within Maai Mahiu, a key transport hub known for prostitution, to exploit vulnerable children.
Earlier on, the Ministry of Gender had condemned the act and in a statement issued Thursday, August 7, the government pledged urgent multi-agency action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Gender Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo said she was "deeply disturbed" by the expose, which uncovered a web of child trafficking and sexual abuse operating in broad daylight with impunity. "This inhumane practice is a gross violation of child rights under the Children Act 2022, the Constitution of Kenya, and international child protection frameworks."
"The government will not tolerate the abuse of vulnerable children for profit, pleasure, or gain by locals or foreigners alike," she added.
The BBC report documented how girls as young as 13 are being trafficked and exploited sexually in Mai Mahiu, a transit town on the busy Northern Corridor linking Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC.
