BBC promised witnesses payments in child sex trade exposé – Murkomen
The government has stated that BBC journalists in the child sex trade documentary promised witnesses payments and lifestyle benefits.
Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Interiors Cabinet Secretary (CS), Kipchumba Murkomen, stated that the revelation was made following investigations by the revealed anti-human trafficking and protection units.
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“14 witnesses have been interviewed, and their statements recorded with relevant documents obtained. All locations featured in the BBC documentary have been identified, visited and documented by the crime scene investigation team,” he said.
“According to witnesses, BBC representatives promised substantial payments and lifestyle benefits to those who were involved,” he added.
Furthermore, he has dismissed the documentary as a planned hoax aimed at misleading the public.
Murkomen claimed he had personally reviewed the names, pseudonyms, and backgrounds of the individuals featured in the exposé and found that none were minors.
That report was fake because the people who were interviewed were not underage. I went the whole length to read their names, pseudonyms, and who they are and what they do. I also looked at the motivating factor for why they were posing as children.
Additionally, Murkomen has insisted that the individuals featured in the programme were adults who knowingly posed as minors.
The CS alleged that those featured were motivated to pose as minors, adding that there was a deliberate effort to stage the story.
While acknowledging that cases of child sexual exploitation may exist in the country, the CS insisted the BBC production failed the test of journalistic integrity.
“As far as the BBC documentary is concerned, it was a hoax. It was planned and executed to portray that they were underage girls going through sexual exploitation, while in reality, the people playing the game knew they were not,” he said.
Journalism
Murkomen also questioned the ethics of offering payment to interviewees in exchange for sensitive information.
“On the part of the BBC, as far as media ethics is concerned, the first question is, why would anyone promise financial reward in case information is going to be shared?” he asked.
According to him, the journalists either paid just to get a good story and benefit from the reward of the documentary or used money as an incentive to attract children going through the same horrors.
