NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 7 – Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has called on the national government and the Ministry of Interior to launch an immediate and crackdown on a child sex trafficking network operating in Mai Mahiu, following a disturbing BBC investigation that revealed minors as young as 13 being sold for sex.
Her demand comes days after a BBC exposé aired, uncovering how underage girls are being lured, manipulated, and exploited by older women known as “madams,” who run prostitution rings in the fast-growing transit town in Nakuru County.
“I want a full-scale operation to dismantle this shameful trade. Everyone involved from the traffickers to the business owners benefiting from this evil must be brought to book,” Kihika said in a statement on Thursday.
The BBC report showed heartbreaking scenes of young girls working with multiple clients a day, some being bribed with sweets, others driven by sheer poverty and despair.
Despite the BBC handing its findings to police in March, no arrests have been made.
Governor Kihika said the report was “heartbreaking and deeply disturbing.”
She directed county emergency teams to begin rescue missions, medical evaluations, and counseling support for affected children.
She also pledged to help the girls return to school.
“This is not just a crime, it’s a moral failure. We must protect our children from predators hiding in plain sight,” Kihika said, urging the County Security Committee to act swiftly and decisively.
Kenyans on social media have echoed her sentiments, demanding justice and swift action.
Many questioned why such crimes have gone unchecked for years.
“This is a moment of reckoning,” said Kihika. “We cannot look away. We must act.”
