The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has issued a clarification regarding a recent investigation into Kenya’s child sex trade following claims by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that the victims were not underage.
In a statement, the BBC said its documentary, Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade, was an important piece of public interest journalism aimed at documenting the exploitation of children in the country’s sex industry.
The investigative film featured testimonies from survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Mai Mahiu
According to the BBC, the survivors were all over the age of 18 at the time of the interviews as they recounted experiences of abuse that took place when they were minors.
“We note with concern that following the broadcast of the film, survivors of childhood sexual abuse who contributed to the film were interviewed at length by investigators from the Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigations without the presence of legal representation. There has also been a debate on the investigation in the Kenyan parliament,” the statement read in part.
The broadcaster confirmed that there had been a debate in the Kenyan parliament following the release of the film, clarifying that none of the survivors were compensated for their participation.
“For clarity, none of the contributors featured in this film were paid, offered payment or coached in any way. As clearly stated in the film, the survivors of abuse who were interviewed were all over 18 and recounted experiences of abuse that occurred when they were underage. We are thankful to the survivors for their brave contributions,” BBC said.
They further confirmed engagement with Kenyan law enforcers, saying that the evidence gathered during investigations had been shared with the police months before the airing.
“As detailed in the film, we originally handed the evidence gathered during the investigation to the Kenyan police in March 2025, in which perpetrators of crimes against children were clearly identified, as were the victims who were in need of urgent assistance,” the spokesperson stated.
BBC added that it followed up repeatedly with the authorities to encourage action.
“We have since made repeated contact with the police to get them to act on the evidence. We urge the Kenyan authorities to take action against the perpetrators identified in the investigation,” the BBC said.
The broadcaster concluded by reiterating its gratitude to the survivors for sharing their stories despite the emotional toll.
“We are thankful to the survivors for their brave contributions,” they said.
The documentary has sparked public discussion on the scope of child exploitation in Kenya and on the handling of such cases by law enforcement.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, on August 13, claimed that the children interviewed in the BBC child sexual exploitation documentary may have falsified their ages.
Speaking before the National Assembly, Murkomen alleged that some of the individuals featured were not underage but mature people posing as minors.
“The entire report was fake, because the people who were interviewed were not underage. That is not to say there may be no cases of sexual exploitation of young people in the country,” he said, adding that he had reviewed the identities, pseudonyms, and backgrounds of those featured in the documentary.
