Nairobi,15 August 2025 Amnesty International Kenya is deeply concerned by the remarks by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, terming the BBC Africa Eye, Madams of Mai Mahiu, expose by BBC Africa Eye as a “hoax”. These remarks not only water down the lived experiences of the survivors, but also embolden the perpetrators of child sex trafficking and are a dangerous attempt to discredit and silence legitimate journalism
The BBC submitted evidence from its independent investigation into the child sex trafficking allegations to the National Police Service in March 2025, urging an immediate probe and protection of survivors. The documentary, released five months later, tragically highlights the fact that the police had taken no substantive action. This inaction is a shocking dereliction of duty and a blatant failure to uphold the state’s responsibility to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
The Cabinet Secretary’s comments are an affront to human rights principles and serve only to trivialise the suffering of child survivors. Such statements send a chilling message to both media practitioners and human rights defenders, suggesting that their work to expose and document abuses will be met with official denial and disregard.
We call upon the National Police Service to comprehensively, impartially and transparently investigate these crimes exposed by the documentary. The perpetrators must be held accountable and brought to justice. We also call on the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to immediately launch its own investigation into the police’s failure to act on the evidence submitted by the BBC. A five-month period of inaction on such serious allegations is a clear case for oversight.
We reiterate that the government of Kenya has an obligation to honour its commitments under international and regional human rights instruments on the rights of the Child, as well as our Constitution 2010, to protect children from all forms of exploitation and abuse. As a movement, we urge justice sector institutions to demonstrate commitment to human rights by taking swift and decisive action to end impunity and ensure justice and rehabilitation for survivors.
Signed
Irũngũ Houghton
Amnesty International Kenya Section Director
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