Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has urged Kenyan parents to prioritise firm discipline in raising their children, warning that failure to do so is creating a generation of rude, entitled, and irresponsible adults.
In a strongly worded statement referencing to the Utimishi Girls fire tragedy that killed 16 students, Khalwale argued that problematic behaviour in students is not accidental but a direct result of poor parenting that begins from early childhood.
“Bad adults are not an accident. They are a project. A project that started at age 5 when a child talked back to an adult, and the parent laughed and said, “Huyu mtoto ni tough kama mimi,” he said.
“Nobody wakes up at 30 and suddenly becomes rude, entitled, dishonest, and impossible to deal with. That software was installed early by parents who were allergic to the word ‘no’,” he added.
Khalwale criticised parents who confuse bad behaviour with good qualities. He said some parents wrongly call it “confidence” when children talk back to elders, “creativity” when they break rules, or “independence” when they ignore boundaries. He warned that this kind of parenting can end up harming the child.
He pointed out the real-life consequences faced by young adults including inability to maintain relationships because they have never been told they are wrong, inability to keep jobs due to constant arguments with supervisors, and inability to accept feedback without playing the victim.
Khalwale stressed that schools, the internet, or even the church cannot raise children, only parents can. He warned that if parents refuse to correct their children, society will eventually do it harshly, with no patience or mercy.
“These are lessons that must be taught early. Because the world will not teach them gently,” he said, adding; “Schools do not raise children. The internet does not raise children. TikTok does not raise children. Church does not raise children.”
The Kakamega Senator urged parents to raise children with strong manners, respect, accountability, and the understanding that the world owes them nothing, while character determines everything.
