BBC News has firmly rejected allegations by Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, that its recent investigation into child sex trafficking was fabricated.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Murkomen said the documentary, Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade, was misleading and aimed at damaging the country’s reputation. He claimed some women featured in the film had lied about their ages to secure “promised sponsorship” from the British broadcaster.
“Our investigations have established that the BBC team primarily sought underage girls involved in sex work,” Mr Murkomen told lawmakers. “However, some of the girls falsified their age to qualify for the promised sponsorship. No arrests have been made so far, but investigations are ongoing.”
The BBC strongly disputed this account. In a statement on Thursday, the broadcaster said no one interviewed in the film had been paid, offered payment, or coached in any way.
“For clarity, none of the contributors featured in this film were paid, offered payment or ‘coached’ in any way,” the BBC said. “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.”
The broadcaster also expressed concern that survivors had been questioned by Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations without legal representation. It said it had shared all evidence from its investigation with police in March 2025.
The film, part of the BBC Africa Eye series, detailed how girls as young as 13 in the town of Maai Mahiu are lured into sex work. The accounts described exploitation by older women—known locally as “madams”—who groom minors for paying clients.
Since its release, the exposé has drawn widespread attention online and sparked debate in Parliament. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has instructed investigators to complete their inquiries and report back within a week.
For now, the claims and counterclaims have deepened a rift between the Kenyan government and one of the world’s most prominent broadcasters—while the young women at the centre of the story remain caught in the middle.
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