Unmasking and Rescue of Vulnerable Minors Involved in Sexual Exploitation Required, Urges Kihika
Child Sex Trafficking Ring Exposed in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County
A shocking undercover investigation by BBC Africa Eye has exposed a child sex trafficking ring in Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, Kenya. The investigation revealed that minors, some as young as 12 and 13 years old, are being trafficked and sexually exploited by truck drivers passing through this transit town on the Northern Corridor linking Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In response, the government and local authorities have strongly condemned the abuse and pledged swift justice and coordinated action.
The Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services has deplored the exploitation as a gross violation of child rights under Kenyan law and international frameworks, promising urgent multi-agency measures against perpetrators.
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has described the exploitation of children as a "moral and societal emergency." She has ordered a crackdown on all implicated suspects, the deployment of emergency response teams, and rescue operations for victims. These teams are tasked with providing psychosocial support, medical assistance, and facilitating the reintegration of rescued children into schools.
Police and specialized units, including the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit, have launched investigations, recorded testimonies, rescued victims, and arrested suspects.
Undercover reporters in the BBC investigation posed as traffickers and were introduced to underage girls by women who admitted their operations were illegal, providing compelling evidence for the authorities to act.
This combined effort reflects a growing commitment to accountability, victim protection, and law enforcement to dismantle the trafficking networks and restore dignity to the affected children in Mai Mahiu.
Governor Kihika has directed the county's Departments of Children Services, Gender, and Youth Affairs to deploy emergency response teams to Mai Mahiu. For updates on the ongoing investigation and rescue operations, you can follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp.
The BBC Child Sex Trade Exposé, featuring the trafficking of teenage girls in Mai Mahiu, is currently trending.
The BBC's undercover investigation has highlighted the insight that the child sex trafficking ring in Mai Mahiu has been operating against the health and general-news framework of the society. In response, Governor Susan Kihika, deeming it a moral and societal emergency, has initiated a crackdown on trafficking suspects, deployed emergency response teams, and pledged psychosocial support, medical assistance, and school integration for the rescued victims as part of the business of safeguarding the welfare of children. The Ministries involved have vowed to take decisive action against the perpetrators in the crime-and-justice context. The investigation has provoked a wave of concern in politics, with authorities condemning the exploitation as a violation of children's rights under Kenyan and international law.
