Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has urged political leaders to exercise restraint in their public utterances, warning that insults and confrontational language set a poor example for children who often emulate the behaviour of adults.
Speaking on Saturday during the burial of her aunt Christine at their family home in Mua Hills, Governor Wavinya said leaders must be mindful of the impact their words have on young people. She alluded to recent public spats between the President and opposition figures, describing them as a “wrong display of bad manners” that risks normalising abusive language among the youth.
“As leaders, we need to be very careful about what we say because the young people are looking at us and they copy what we do,” she said. “We are the ones teaching the young people how to abuse, and when they abuse each other, we punish them.”
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Governor Wavinya stressed that citizens expect development and responsible leadership, not public exchanges of insults. She noted that the role of leaders is to inspire and guide, not to perpetuate divisions through reckless speech.
Her sentiments were echoed by former Machakos Town MP Dr Victor Munyaka, who also called on leaders to show restraint and maintain dignity in their public addresses. He emphasised that responsible communication is essential in fostering unity and safeguarding the moral fabric of society.
By Stephen Muthini
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