Detectives drawn from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHTCPU) and DCI Changamwe have arrested a couple in Mombasa for the alleged exploitation and online solicitation of their own children.
The two parents, now facing grave accusations, were arrested following an intelligence-led operation.
The mother, aged 41, was reportedly using a dating platform, to advertise her three children aged 13, 7, and 4 (two girls and a boy), exposing the minors to sexual exploitation.
Police investigations revealed that the woman was generating income by sharing sexually explicit content involving her children as she offered the content to interested clients in exchange for money.
Disturbingly, it was further established that her husband, a 52-year-old man, had been repeatedly defiling their teenage daughter.
''A team of detectives drawn from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHTCPU) and DCI Changamwe have arrested two suspects in Mombasa for the alleged exploitation and online solicitation of minors,'' the police report read in part.
''Acting on intelligence leads, officers apprehended 41-year-old (name withheld), who was reportedly using a dating site, to market her three children - aged 13, 7, and 4 (two girls and one boy) - for sexual exploitation.''
Both suspects have since been arraigned before the Mombasa Law Courts, where the mother was granted a bond of Ksh1 million, with two sureties of the same amount.
Meanwhile, the father remains in custody, awaiting his bond ruling scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
Under Section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act, anyone found guilty of defiling a child under 18 years faces stiff penalties. If the child is below 11 years, the offender faces life imprisonment. For victims aged between 12 and 15 years, the minimum sentence is 20 years.
If the child is between 16 and 18 years, the offender is liable to a minimum of 15 years in prison with the law designed to offer strict protection against all forms of sexual abuse involving minors.
Additionally, the Children Act, 2022, also addresses child exploitation under Section 127. Any individual who exploits a child for labour, sex, trafficking, or media exposure is liable to a fine of Ksh5 million, a jail term of up to 10 years, or both.
