Embu: The Government, through the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services, is prioritizing positive parenting training to build stable families nationwide. Principal Secretary for the State Department for Children Services, Carren Ageng’o, stated that these training sessions are designed to prevent family breakdowns, emphasizing the critical role of families as the bedrock of society.
According to Kenya News Agency, PS Ageng’o highlighted that families are the primary source of care, protection, identity, and socialization for children, with strong parenting directly contributing to improved child wellbeing, reduced violence, and stronger family bonds. During the International Day of Families Celebrations at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Diocese of Mbeere in Embu County, she announced that the program is ongoing and has already trained nearly 92,000 parents.
PS Ageng’o emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring every child is raised in a loving and supportive family environment. She
linked the increasing trend of school unrests, characterized by strikes, walkouts, and property destruction, to poor parenting practices. She pointed out that values such as responsibility, discipline, integrity, respect, and love start at home, and their absence during formative years leads to a moral vacuum.
The lack of a strong ethical foundation, according to Ageng’o, contributes to juvenile delinquency, currently manifesting in school unrest. In Embu, 17 schools have experienced strikes in just four weeks, with over 70 percent of unrest cases attributed to parental neglect. This underscores the focus on positive parenting, ensuring every child has an equal opportunity to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Additionally, the PS called on families without children, or those feeling lonely, to consider fostering a child and undergo training for foster care. This initiative is part of the national strategy to phase out institutional care and place every child into a family environment by 2032.
Bishop Moses Masamba, head of the ACK Diocese of Mbeere, reinforced the church’s role in providing a moral foundation and spiritual guidance for raising children, highlighting its importance in family development.
