Parents, community leaders and children welfare stakeholders in Kericho have been urged to strengthen family ties and work together to ensure children are raised in a safe, loving and supportive environment.
Kericho Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), Monica Muli, said children who receive proper care and affection within their families were more likely to grow into responsible members of society, warning that child neglect and family breakdown could expose them to life threatening social challenges.
Speaking during a multisectoral stakeholder’s forum on children services held at the ACK Conference Hall in Kericho, Muli called on parents, religious leaders, teachers, caregivers, government officers and the wider community to take collective responsibility for the welfare of children.
“We need good ambassadors on this issue of children being taken care of in the families or in the community. Let us embrace this and be good ambassadors,” Muli said.
She said the family remained the most important environment for a child’s emotional and social development, noting that children formed strong bonds with people who consistently cared for, talked to and showed affection towards them.
Muli cautioned parents against leaving children for long periods under the care of different people, saying frequent changes in caregivers could affect children’s behaviour and emotional stability.
She encouraged working parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives by spending time with them, talking to them and showing affection, even when household responsibilities and work commitments were demanding.
The DCC said children who could be cared for within their families should, where possible, remain with relatives rather than being separated from their family environment, noting that prolonged separation could affect their self-esteem, education and overall development.
Muli cited a recent case involving children whose mother was arrested after allegedly committing a serious offence, leaving the children without a parent to care for them. She said the experience had demonstrated the vulnerability of children when family structures collapse.
She said the three children were unable to attend school and had no consistent caregiver after their mother was detained, a situation that left her concerned about the wider impact of parental conflict and crime on innocent children.
The administrator urged parents going through separation, marital disputes or other family difficulties to put the interests of their children first, stressing that children should not be made to suffer because of disagreements between adults.
She also appealed to fathers to continue supporting their children even when they are separated from their mothers, saying parental responsibility should not end when relationships break down or when one parent faces difficulties.
Muli further called on young parents not to abandon, neglect or give up on their children, saying every child deserved an opportunity to grow in a stable environment regardless of the challenges facing the family.
She said the community had a role to play in identifying children at risk and ensuring that appropriate support reached vulnerable families before problems escalated.
“Let us take care of our children. Let us love them, even if they have problems. We have seen children brought up well becoming a blessing to their parents, families, society and the nation,” she said.
The DCC said government officers working in schools, the administration, children’s services and other institutions were already making efforts to safeguard children’s welfare, but stressed that government intervention alone could not replace the responsibility of families and communities.
She urged religious leaders, teachers, caregivers, neighbours and other stakeholders to use their positions to promote responsible parenting and speak up whenever children were exposed to neglect, abuse or abandonment.
Muli said the multisectoral approach to children’s services would help different actors coordinate their efforts and ensure that vulnerable children were identified early and connected to the necessary support.
She challenged the stakeholders to turn the forum into practical action by strengthening families, protecting vulnerable children and creating communities where every child could grow up with dignity, care and hope.
The forum was attended by among others, the County Director of Children Services, Grace Kipkech, Heads of Departments, Religious leaders and Children’s Rights activists.
By Dominic Cheres
