- Parents have been urged to prioritise their children’s emotional and social wellbeing, warning against frequent changes in caregivers and prolonged family separation.
- Kericho County DCC Monica Muli has called for a multisectoral approach to identify vulnerable children early and connect families to support services.
Parents in Kericho have been urged to prioritise the emotional and social wellbeing of their children, with families and communities challenged to ensure no child is left vulnerable because of parental disputes, neglect or family breakdown.
Deputy County Commissioner Monica Muli said a loving and stable family environment was critical in shaping children into responsible members of society. Speaking during a multisectoral forum on children’s services at the ACK Conference Hall in Kericho, Muli said children needed more than food and shelter, urging parents to give them time, attention and affection. “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,” she said.
Muli said children formed strong emotional bonds with adults who consistently cared for them, talked to them and showed affection, cautioning working parents against leaving their children under the care of different people for extended periods, as frequent changes in caregivers could interfere with their emotional stability and behaviour. “Parents need to remain actively involved in the lives of their children. Even when work is demanding, find time to talk to them, listen to them and show them affection,” she said.
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The administrator said children facing difficult family circumstances should, whenever possible, remain within their extended families rather than being separated from familiar surroundings, warning that prolonged separation from family could affect a child’s confidence, education and general development. She cited the case of three children whose mother was detained after allegedly committing a serious offence, leaving them without a consistent caregiver, noting that the children were unable to attend school following their mother’s arrest, illustrating how children can bear the consequences of circumstances beyond their control.
Muli urged parents experiencing marital separation or disputes to shield their children from conflict. “Children should not suffer because adults are having disagreements. Even when parents separate, they must continue to take responsibility for their children,” she said. She particularly appealed to fathers not to abandon their parental responsibilities after separating from their children’s mothers, and urged young parents facing difficulties to seek support rather than abandoning their children. “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.
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The DCC said the responsibility of protecting children extended beyond parents to neighbours, teachers, religious leaders, caregivers, government officers and the wider community, urging stakeholders to identify vulnerable children early and connect families to appropriate support services before problems escalated. She said the multisectoral approach would strengthen coordination among different actors involved in children’s services, challenging participants to turn the forum into practical action by strengthening families and creating communities where every child can grow up with dignity, care and hope.
The forum brought together County Director of Children Services Grace Kipkech, heads of departments, religious leaders and children’s rights activists, among other stakeholders.
By Kimutai Langat
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