Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has directed the County Security Committee to immediately launch a crackdown on all individuals implicated in the abuse of minors in the Mai Mahiu area in Naivasha.
The move follows an exposé by the BBC Eye documentary, which featured two women dubbed 'madams' who are behind a child sex trafficking ring within the broader Nakuru and Narok counties.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Kihika also directed the County Departments of Children's Services, Gender, and Youth Affairs to deploy emergency response teams to the area.
The teams will be responsible for the immediate rescue operations, offering psychosocial support to the victims and providing medical assistance to the affected girls.
"I have watched with deep concern and heartbreak the recent BBC exposé highlighting the shocking prevalence of trafficking teenage girls for commercial sex in Mai Mahiu," Kihikia commented.
She went ahead to state, "The revelations are not only disturbing but also a grave indictment of our collective moral fabric and institutional vigilance."
According to the governor, the situation was not only a law enforcement issue but also a moral and societal emergency, which requires a coordinated effort to tame.
While calling for swift action, Kihika also called on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to act and deploy a team of police officers to the region.
Kihika's directive comes hours after the Inspector General of Police, Doughlas Kanja, revealed that the National Police Service had already launched an investigation into the incident.
Kanja, through the police Spokesperson, Muchiri Nyaga, noted that special teams from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Units had been deployed in Mai Mahiu.
Further, the police service clarified that steps had already been taken to identify, rescue and support the affected children. "Investigations are ongoing to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators," said Nyaga.
Meanwhile, the documentary, released on Monday this week, revealed how minors were participating in prostitution in towns within Nakuru County, particularly in areas that are commonly visited by truck drivers.
According to the documentary, the suspects allegedly trade the minors to the highest bidders, mostly long-distance truck drivers who use the route to travel to Uganda and other neighbouring countries.
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