BBC Africa Eye secretly delved into Maai Mahiu in Kenya. The investigation captured the shocking recruitment of 13-year-old girls into prostitution. The report of August 2025 exposed the so-called women and madams who abused the trust of defenseless girls to profit from their abuse.
The probe made it clear that these women “madams” were the absolute rulers of the whole business, from the selection of the girls to the arrangement with the customer. The victims of the coercion and deceit had some little protection from the police or oversight mechanisms.
As a result of the report being made public, Kenya authorities have started an investigation and law enforcement agencies have started going through complaints. Child protection services along with police are working to solve the problem. The civil society organizations charged the government with immediate action to break the traffickers’ network.
Maai Mahiu has always been known as a transit town where traffickers take advantage of the poor communities who are struggling economically. The place is suffering from bad legal enforcement and low social safety nets, which are the perfect conditions for child exploitation.
The investigation will be the reason for changes in law and police systems throughout Kenya. The child protection groups urge the law enforcement agents to be given more training, more comprehensive survivor support programs, and more public awareness campaigns to fight the root cause of this systemic issue.
