President William Ruto has urged all parents across the country to remain at the forefront in mentoring their children, particularly the youths, especially at this time when the political tension in the country is on the rise.
Speaking in Nairobi on Sunday, July 20, the head of state stressed that the well-being and discipline of children depend on the effort a parent or a guardian has invested to ensure the moral fitness of the child.
On the other hand, Ruto has further urged other key institutions, such as the church, to remain vigilant to ensure that the youths are fed with adequate moral wisdom.
The president has assured that the government will provide the necessary resources, such as education and healthcare, to ensure the prosperity of youth.
Taking good care of the future generation, which he labelled as talented and energetic, will be fundamental in catalysing the country's social, economic, and political metamorphosis, according to the head of state.
"Children are our biggest assets because they are a gift from God to our families and our nation, and we mentor them. Parenting is a God given responsibility, and you should not abdicate your responsibility as a parent and don't surrender it to the church or the government," Ruto said.
"When God gave you a child, he was well aware that you can take care of that child, do not let your child end up in the wrong hands by other people, because as the saying goes ' a child who is not taught by hus/her parents, will be taught by the world'," he added.
In a bid to restore togetherness and political harmony in the country, Ruto has further urged leaders and their political stakeholders to refrain from inciting the youths, which he warned would midwife dire consequences.
However, on the other hand, Ruto reaffirmed that security agencies, whom he claimed "are trained to deal with criminals, not parenting," will remain firm in ensuring that people follow the law even when expressing themselves through demonstrations.
"The police are trained to deal with criminals and not parenting, so if you surrender your children to the police, what do you expect? So every parent must take time to parent their children," Ruto said.
The statement comes days after he directed police to shoot in the leg and later take action on any goon who tries to infiltrate demonstrations and cause mayhem.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, July 9, Ruto said that the government would no longer tolerate unnamed individuals whom he accused of sponsoring chaos and protests in the country.
Anyone deciding to storm a person’s business or a police station should be shot in the leg. Thereafter, they can go to court and see what follows next,” Ruto said.
