The BBC has defended its documentary Madams: Exposing Kenya's Child Sex Trade, after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed it as a "hoax" yesterday.
In a statement Thursday, the broadcaster rejected Murkomen's allegations, insisting the documentary was a work of public interest journalism that followed ethical and professional standards.
BBC also expressed concern that survivors featured in the film were questioned by police without legal representation. "We note with concern that following the broadcast of the film, survivors of childhood sexual abuse who contributed to the film were interviewed at length by investigators from the Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigations without the presence of legal representation," the statement read.
The film, produced by BBC Africa Eye and released on August 4, uncovers harrowing accounts of sex trafficking involving underage girls in Maai Mahiu, a town on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway.
