Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has strongly criticized absentee parents for the escalating cases of indiscipline and unrest rocking Kenyan schools.
Speaking at AIC Plains view South B Church on Sunday, June 14, 2026, Murkomen placed the primary responsibility for children’s moral upbringing squarely on families, rather than on teachers or the government.
Murkomen observed that many modern parents have abdicated their core duties, leaving children to be “raised by phones, television, and young teachers.” He urged parents to reflect and ask themselves whether they are doing to their children what was done to them.
According to him, the failure to create quality time at home is at the root of many behavioral problems manifesting in schools. Children mirror what they absorb from unregulated exposure to digital media and a lack of parental guidance.
The CS highlighted a troubling shift in blame. Parents, he said, are quick to point fingers at teachers, the Interior Ministry, the education sector, and the government instead of confronting their own shortcomings.
“If you look at what children are doing more in schools, it reflects the failure of parents to take responsibility.” He noted that today’s teachers, often from the Gen Z generation themselves, cannot be expected to fully play the parental role that previous generations of educators once did.
Many now limit themselves to teaching and heading home, avoiding the heavier disciplinary burdens since the parents themselves do not want their children to be punished.
Current problems in Kenyan schools include frequent strikes, violence, drug use, sexual misconduct, and general defiance of authority.
These issues have led to tragic incidents and disrupted learning. Murkomen emphasized that the government cannot discipline students on behalf of parents.
“The solution lies in responsible parenting and the church,” he stated, calling for stronger family structures and community involvement.
This stance echoes broader concerns about declining parental guidance contributing to social ills nationwide.
Experts and studies, including those on emotional neglect, link absentee parenting to increased indiscipline, hatred for rules, and poor academic outcomes among adolescents.
Murkomen’s remarks come amid ongoing national debates on school safety and youth development. He also touched on security, announcing plans for a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit to tackle gangs, but his core message to parents was clear: reclaim your role at home to build a disciplined generation.
Without proactive involvement, through presence, values transmission, and accountability, schools will continue struggling with issues that originate in broken family dynamics.
Responsible parenting, he concluded, remains the foundation for a stable society.
