UNDERCOVER FOOTAGE EXPOSES 'MADAMS' BEHIND KENYA'S CHILD SEX TRADE

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BY OWOLABI OLUWADARA

An investigation conducted has uncovered how women referred to as “madams” have engaged children as young as 13 in prostitution in Kenya. In the transit town of Maai Mahiu, located in Kenya’s Rift Valley, trucks and lorries traverse the streets continuously, transporting goods and individuals across the nation into Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This pivotal transport center, situated merely 50 km (31 miles) east of the capital, Nairobi, is notorious for its involvement in prostitution, but it also serves as a fertile ground for child sexual exploitation. Two undercover investigators, posing as sex workers seeking to learn how to become madams, spent several months earlier this year infiltrating the sex industry in the town.

Their covert recordings reveal two distinct women who acknowledge the illegality of the situation and subsequently introduce the investigators to underage girls engaged in the sex trade. The BBC submitted all of its findings to the Kenyan police in March. They believe the madams have since relocated. The police reported that the women and young girls captured in the footage could not be located. To date, no arrests have been made.

Convictions in Kenya are infrequent. For successful prosecutions, police require testimonies from minors. Often, vulnerable children are too intimidated to come forward. The footage, captured on the street at night, showcases one woman, who identifies herself as Nyambura, laughing as she remarks: “They’re still children, so it’s easy to manipulate them by simply giving them sweets. ”

Prostitution serves as a lucrative industry in Maai Mahiu, primarily sustained by the truck drivers. This dynamic contributes to local economic benefits. It has become a normalized practice within Maai Mahiu, she clarified, noting that she had one young girl as tender as 13, who had already been engaged in “work” for six months.

“It becomes exceedingly perilous when you are involved with minors. You cannot simply take them out openly within the town. I only manage to discreetly escort them out at night under considerable confidentiality,” Nyambura remarked.

The act of prostitution among consenting adults is not explicitly prohibited under Kenyan national legislation, although it is outlawed by numerous municipal regulations. It is, however, permitted in Maai Mahiu, which lies within Nakuru County.

According to the penal code, it is illegal to derive income from prostitution, whether as a sex worker or as a third party facilitating or profiting from such activities. The trafficking or sale of minors under the age of 18 is punishable by imprisonment for a duration of 10 years to life.

When inquired about whether clients utilize condoms, Nyambura indicated that she typically ensured they had protection, though there were occasional exceptions. “Some children desire to earn more [so they don’t use them]. Others are coerced [not to use them],” she explained.

In a subsequent meeting, she directed the undercover investigator to a residence where three young girls were gathered on a sofa, with another seated on a hard-backed chair. Nyambura then exited the room, granting the investigator an opportunity to converse with the girls privately.

They recounted experiences of being subjected to sexual abuse persistently, on a daily basis. “Sometimes you have intimate encounters with multiple clients. The clients compel you to engage in unfathomable actions,” one of the girls stated.

There are no current statistics regarding the number of children coerced into labor within Kenya’s sex industry. In 2012, the US State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Kenya cited an estimate of 30,000, a figure sourced from the Kenyan government and the now-inactive non-governmental organization (NGO) Eradicate Child Prostitution in Kenya.

Additional research has concentrated on specific regions, particularly along the nation’s coast, which is renowned for its tourist resorts. A 2022 report from the NGO Global Fund to End Modern Slavery revealed that nearly 2,500 children were compelled into sex work in Kilifi and Kwale counties.

A second undercover investigator befriended a woman identifying herself as Cheptoo and conducted multiple meetings with her. She remarked that selling young girls allowed her to “earn a living and be comfortable. ”

“You perform this type of business with utmost discretion, as it is unlawful,” she stated. “If someone expresses interest in a young girl, I request payment upfront. We also have our regular clients who return consistently. ”

Cheptoo escorted the undercover investigator to a club to introduce her to four of her girls. The youngest claimed to be 13 years old, while the others identified themselves as 15.

She disclosed the earnings she reaps from their activities, stating that for every 3,000 Kenyan shillings ($23; £17) the girls generate, her share amounts to 2,500 shillings ($19; £14).

During another meeting at a residence in Maai Mahiu, Cheptoo left the undercover investigator alone with two underage girls. One of them disclosed that she engaged in sexual acts with an average of five men each day. When inquired about the consequences of refusing to have sex without a condom, she replied that she had no alternative.

“I have to [have sex without a condom]. I would be cast out, and I have nowhere to flee. I am an orphan. ”

Kenya’s sex industry represents a multifaceted and obscure realm wherein both males and females partake in the facilitation of child prostitution. The precise number of children compelled into sex work in Maai Mahiu remains unknown; however, within this modest town of approximately 50,000 residents, locating them poses little difficulty. A former sex worker, referred to as “Baby Girl,” now offers sanctuary in Maai Mahiu for girls who have fled from sexual exploitation.

At the age of 61, she has spent four decades in the sex industry, becoming entrenched there during her early twenties while pregnant and accompanied by her three young children after escaping her husband due to domestic violence. Seated at her wooden kitchen table in a brightly lit parlor within her residence, she introduced the BBC team to four young women who had all been coerced into sex work by madams in Maai Mahiu during their childhood years.

Each young woman recounted similar narratives of fractured families or maltreatment at home; they arrived in Maai Mahiu seeking refuge, only to endure further violent abuse. Michelle recounted a harrowing experience at the age of 12, when she lost her parents to HIV and was subsequently displaced to the streets, where she encountered a man who provided her with shelter, only to begin sexually exploiting her. “I literally had to repay him in kind for my education. I reached my breaking point, yet I had no one,” she stated.

Two years later, a woman approached her, who revealed herself to be a madam in Maai Mahiu, compelling Michelle into the world of sex work.

Lilian, now 19, also endured the loss of her parents at a tender age. She was placed in the care of an uncle who recorded her while in the shower and distributed the footage to his acquaintances. This invasion of privacy swiftly escalated into assault.
“That was the most horrific day of my life. I was 12 at the time. ”
Upon her escape, she faced further violation at the hands of a truck driver who transported her to Maai Mahiu. There, akin to Michelle’s experience, a woman approached her and coerced her into the sex trade.
The abbreviated lives of these young women have been marked by violence, neglect, and maltreatment.
Currently, under the guidance of Baby Girl, they are acquiring new competencies – two in a photography studio and two in a beauty salon.
They also support Baby Girl in her outreach initiatives within the community.
Nakuru County has one of the highest HIV infection rates in Kenya, and Baby Girl, with the support of the US aid agency USAID, is dedicated to educating the populace about the dangers of unprotected intercourse.
She operates from her office at the Karagita Community Health Centre, situated near Lake Naivasha, where she provides condoms and guidance.
However, following US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw USAID funding, her outreach programs are on the verge of cessation.

“From September we will be unemployed,” she told the BBC World Service, adding how worried she was about the young women and girls who depend on her.

“You see how vulnerable these children are. How would they survive on their own? They are still healing.”

The US government did not respond to comments in this investigation about the likely impact of its funding cuts. USAID officially closed last month.

For now, Lilian is focused on learning photography and recovering from abuse.

“I am not afraid any more, because Baby Girl is there for me,” she said. “She is helping us bury the past.”