Let parents be parents: Ruto cautions against using police for children’s moral upbringing

President William Ruto has called on parents to take full responsibility for raising and mentoring their children, cautioning that police officers are trained to deal with criminals, not to offer parental guidance.

Speaking on Sunday during the installation of Bishop Benjamin Kalanzo at AIC Bomani in Machakos County, Ruto stressed that children must be nurtured at home and within the church to prevent them from drifting into crime and unrest.

“The police are trained to deal with criminals. They are not trained in parenting. So if you surrender your children to the police, what do you expect? No, please, every parent, including me, I take time to parent my children. And so must everybody,” he said.

He insisted that raising responsible citizens is a shared responsibility between parents, the church and the government.

“I want to ask the church, leaders, and parents, our children are our greatest resource. Our children are a gift from God, a blessing to our families and a blessing to our nation. We must mentor them. Parenting is a God-given responsibility. Don’t abdicate your responsibility of parenting. Don’t surrender it to the church or to the government. Parenting is a responsibility given to parents by God. When God gives you a child, he knows you have the ability to raise that child,” he said.

“Don’t let your child be raised on the streets by other people. You have heard the saying, ‘A child who is not taught by their parent… do you know who will teach them?’”

He urged all parents to engage in their children’s lives actively.

“So parents, let us mentor our children. Let us be parents. Let us look after our children. Let us speak to our children. Let us talk to our children,” he said.

He further challenged the church to work closely with families, saying that raising responsible citizens requires collective effort.

“The church, let us work together, because raising the next generation of Kenya is a societal responsibility. It takes parents, it takes the church, it takes the government to raise the next generation of responsible citizens,” Ruto said.

The President said his administration will provide quality education and healthcare, but insisted that moral upbringing remains the role of parents and the church.

“We will provide education. We will make sure they have quality health. Parents, make sure you do your part. [To] the church, make sure that our children are morally straight. [To] religious leaders, let us build the right customs, the right tradition for our children, so that we can raise the next generation of responsible people. We will not have succeeded if we don’t do that,” Ruto said.

He further warned leaders against misusing the youth for political gain through violence and unrest.

“I want to ask all of us, including leaders, please, let us not use or misuse or abuse our children by inciting them to cause violence, to destroy property, to destroy people’s businesses. That is the irresponsibility of leaders. And all of us, from parents to clergy to leaders, we must take responsibility if our children do the wrong thing,” he said.

Collectively mentor the youth

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Ruto urged the nation to collectively mentor the youth, saying their energy, talent and education are critical to building the country.

“Our children are the biggest asset we have. Their energy, talent and education, is important for building Kenya going forward, and it is our collective responsibility to make sure that we guide them, we mentor them, provide the right education, provide the right mentorship, so that they can channel their energy, their expertise, their knowledge, into growing our nation and making our nation better than we have it today,” he said.

He further criticised politicians for exploiting unrest to advance their political ambitions, warning that inciting violence was not a form of leadership.

Ruto said those relying on chaos to gain political relevance had no clear plan for the country.

“Those who are waiting for violence to happen so they can push their political agenda, surely, you know you have no plan for Kenya. You are waiting for chaos and violence so that you can become something. That will be the rock bottom of any form of leadership,” he said.

He urged Kenyans to come together in the spirit of nation-building, stating, “Let us work together. Let us build a nation together. I am committed to ensuring that we unite as a country and move forward collectively.”

The government has since revealed that 50 individuals are currently under investigation by the Serious Crimes Investigations Unit, while the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit is handling 71 terrorism-related cases linked to the violent protests on June 25 and July 7.

According to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the suspects are believed to be part of “coordinated criminal groups” behind the widespread violence and destruction.

He further disclosed that nearly 1,500 suspects have been arrested nationwide, facing charges that include terrorism, murder, robbery with violence, sexual assault, arson, malicious damage to property, and targeted attacks on critical infrastructure.

“The anarchists targeted police stations, government offices, vehicles, and a hospital. This disturbing trend of targeting police stations, stealing firearms and ammunition, points to a coordinated attempt to subvert the state’s ability to guarantee law, order, and public safety,” he said.

“When a police post or station is raided or razed, it leaves the public at the mercy of dangerous criminals.”

Murkomen condemned the attacks, describing the violence as unprecedented.