BBC DENIES CS MURKOMEN’S CLAIMS OF PAYING SOURCES

British broadcaster BBC has issued a statement following claims by Kenya’s Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, who dismissed the Madams: Exposing Kenya’s Child Sex Trade documentary as “fake” during a parliamentary session.

“For clarity, none of the contributors featured in this film were paid, offered payment or ‘coached’ in any way,” the BBC stated. “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.“

CS Murkomen had argued in parliament that the documentary was a “hoax,” claiming the women interviewed were not underage at the time of filming. “From this report mister speaker, the entire report was fake, because the people who were interviewed were not under age,” he said.

While denying the documentary’s portrayal of current underage exploitation, Murkomen acknowledged Kenya’s ongoing challenges with human trafficking. He cited efforts by security agencies, including the Anti-Trafficking Unit, to combat cross-border trafficking and job scams targeting Kenyan youth.  “we still have cases of human trafficking including those that come from neighbouring countries passing through Kenya, young people that are being lured, they may be no under age, but lured also for jobs abroad, and they suffer.”

The Cabinet Secretary raised concerns about journalistic ethics, questioning whether financial incentives were used to shape the documentary’s narrative. “Why would someone promise financial reward in case information is going to be shared? Was the financial reward intended to get a good story that can be aired by BBC and therefore improve the well being of the reporter, or was it actually part of the tricks that were being used by BBC to see if they can find actual young children.“