How gold miners are using children as sacrificial lambs

Children in Kenya are trafficked for ritual sacrifices in mines locally and across the border in Tanzania.[Courtesy]

Children in Kenya are trafficked for ritual sacrifices in mines locally and across the border in Tanzania where miners believe the practice enhances the luck of finding gold, a study by a State-funded agency shows while highlighting the scale of the problem despite efforts to address the menace.

The findings by National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) show that some 2,322 children where trafficked last year, out which 1,185 were boys while 1,137 being girls who either were either exploited for ritualistic, commercial, criminal, sexual, labour-related and illegal adoption purposes.

Although no child deserves to be subjected to any form of abuse, exploitation or violation, revelations that some end up in gold mines are disturbing, as this worrying trend not only deprives victims of their dignity but also takes away their lives in the most callous manner.

Locally, it was established that this illegal activity is most prevalent in Migori County, where children are used as sacrificial lambs in certain gold mining locations based on beliefs that human blood enhances luck and increases gold yields.

According to respondents, male children between one and five years are particularly targeted because they are believed to bring greater fortune in mining operations.

Across the border, some children trafficked into northwestern Tanzania reportedly end up in Geita, a mining region where they are subjected to ritual sacrifices in mines where it is believed the practice increases the likelihood of finding gold.

Beyond the region, some of the children trafficked to Europe and Asia are re-routed to Somalia and Libya where they are recruited into extremism and taken into forced labour. 

Amid the ongoing crackdown against foreigners engaged in small-scale trade in the country, the research found cases of cross-border trafficking for purposes of servitude, especially involving children from Burundi smuggled into Nairobi and peri-urban settlements where they are subjected to debt bondage while being forced to work to repay family debts under exploitative conditions.

Equally, Kenya is also a major destination for trafficked children from neighbouring countries, especially from Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Tanzania.

Family instability, parental absence, inadequate supervision, neglect, negative peer influence, socio-economic pressures, poverty, harmful cultural practices, forced marriage, communal conflicts, forced evictions, homelessness, and displacement were identified as some of the drivers of child trafficking.

With the advancement in technology, traffickers are increasingly using social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp to identify, groom, and recruit children.

 “This threat is exacerbated by unsupervised access to digital devices, underscoring the need for integrated prevention strategies that address household, community, structural, and online vulnerabilities,” says the study.

It emerged that financial gain was the key motivating factor driving child trafficking, with traffickers exploiting children through various profit-oriented activities. Sexual exploitation was also another major reason for trafficking.

Apart from being used as objects of rituals, children are increasingly trafficked for criminal purposes, such as smuggling, drug peddling, forced begging, and pickpocketing.

From the data available, there was a consistent rise in child trafficking incidents between 2022 and 2025, with 4,208 reported cases involving girls and 4,199 involving boys, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem across both genders in the country.

In 2022 the number of boys and girls trafficked respectively were 1,025, and 922, 2023 (977 boys, 1,023 girls), 2024 (1,012 boys, 1,117 girls), and 2025 (1,185 boys, 1,137 girls).

This study, conducted between March and April of this year, sought to establish the prevalence of child trafficking in Kenya, analyze the factors contributing to child trafficking, examine the methods used in the trafficking of children in Kenya, and assess the challenges hindering effective prevention efforts.

It was carried in 13 counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Narok, Nakuru, Kisii, Migori, Garissa, Wajir, Kilifi, Kwale, Kisumu, and Kakamega. These counties were selected because they have the highest number of reported cases of child trafficking.

The persistent child trafficking pattern is worrying given Kenya's strong commitment to international, regional, and national child protection instruments such as the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).

The survey found out that children with albinism were vulnerable to trafficking with respondents from Narok, Kisumu, and Migori informing researchers that victims were targeted because of beliefs that their body parts possess supernatural powers capable of generating wealth, luck, or healing diseases.

In Narok, a representative from a non-governmental organization revealed how a family was torn apart after the woman discovered that the husband had sold their child.

 “When you use some part of a child with albinism, your luck increases; when you sleep with a lady with albinism, it cures HIV and AIDS. You see, I had a case in here, Majengo, where a father who was selling her child with albinism. So, the mother was asking the father, where did you get the money from and you are not working?” the respondent told researchers.

Overall, the findings demonstrate that child trafficking in Kenya is largely driven by economic incentives, with children exploited for sexual purposes, labour, domestic servitude, forced begging, criminal activities, radicalization, ritual practices, and financial gain through institutional exploitation.

While girls are disproportionately trafficked for sexual exploitation and domestic work, boys are more frequently subjected to labour exploitation, criminal activities, and certain ritualistic practices.

 “Of significance, the true scale of the magnitude of child trafficking in Kenya remains obscure due to the critical inconsistency in available data even among the reporting state agencies. These data discrepancies could be hampering efforts to have an accurate assessment of the problem and design effective, evidence-based policy responses,” says the report.

The study proposed further research to determine the magnitude, the underlying challenges, and best practices to strengthen existing policies and enhance effective prevention and response.

Respondents consistently reported higher trafficking rates among girls, particularly those aged between ten and seventeen years. The most common forms of exploitation affecting girls included commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, child marriage, child pornography and online sexual exploitation.

Beyond labour and sexual exploitation, the study findings established that children are increasingly trafficked for involvement in criminal and extremist activities. Respondents from Nairobi, Garissa, Kilifi, and Kwale reported cases involving the recruitment and transportation of children for recruitment into terrorist networks operating within and outside Kenya.

Girls are often recruited as wives, cooks, spies, and logistical support personnel, while boys are trained as fighters, messengers, and operatives involved in violent activities.

The research concluded that trafficking remains a prevalent and evolving child protection and security challenge in Kenya despite the existence of comprehensive legal, policy, and institutional frameworks.

 “Therefore, combating child trafficking in Kenya requires a coordinated, adequately resourced, and multi-sectoral approach that addresses both immediate protection needs and the underlying socio-economic and structural drivers of vulnerability,” says the study.

Some of the recommendations include mapping out porous border points and hidden routes, developing anti-human trafficking programmes, establishing State-led rescue centres, and effective staffing, deployment and facilitation of labour inspectors.