President William Ruto has called on parents to embrace their parental responsibilities.
Ruto said that most parents wait for the government to take care of their children.
The President added that the government cannot take over the responsibilities of parents.
“Our priority as parents is to take care of our children, we should teach them the word of God and advise them against bad behaviours. Most parents leave their responsibilities to the government,” Ruto said.
The President, however, said that the government has the mandate to take care of the education, health and other responsibilities of their children.
He said that criminals perpetuating the illegal acts are children who have gone astray.
Ruto called on parents to guide their children on the right path to avert such incidences.
“The criminals we deal with are our children from our homes. It is our responsibility to guide them to ensure they do not become offenders. We will intervene firmly to deal with criminals—those who kill, engage in drug trafficking, femicide, and other unlawful acts,” Ruto said.
“I ask of you as parents and especially as mothers, to look after our children, mentor, and teach them and to make sure that we have parents who are concerned about their children.”
He said that, if children go astray, the country will not have a future.
“There is no government that is going to take over the place of religious leaders and moral guides, it is a collective project. It is a project that involves all of us and everyone must play their role,” he said.
“Finger pointing and blame game will not help us, each and everyone must do their bit. Do your part as a mother, do your part as a father and as religious institutions and the government must do its part.”
The President said that children are a God’s blessings and therefore parents must make time to care for them.
He called on Kenyans to spend time with their families and children during the festive season.
The President spoke on Saturday at a wedding ceremony in Mombasa.