A Kenyan minister claims Kenyan parents are largely responsible for country’s youth moral rot. Now Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya has is calling for better moral upbringing to resets society.

Mvurya called on parents and religious leaders to pay more attention to the moral upbringing of the youth.

In the past three years, Kenya has been in the throes of a despondent generation of highly skilled but unemployed generation. Despite promises – often political rhetoric – the government in power has been unable to match job creation with the number of university, tertiary institution and school graduate that join the labour market every year.

“Parents, churches and mosques have a duty to contribute towards instilling good morals into the youth,” he said.

Speaking in Kwale County, the cabinet secretary blamed parents for the moral decadence in the country, and pointed out that the importance of moral responsibility and guidance as a means to foster positive change.

“Let us remain vigilant in security matters and to guide our children in an upright manner, helping to reduce insecurity, particularly in tourist attraction areas like Kwale and Mombasa,” he said.

While in Kwale, the minister in the spirit of giving distributed a consignment of food to residents in the six sub-counties of Kwale County during Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

He said the gesture was part of the national government’s annual support to Muslim communities observing the holy month of fasting. Mvurya called on Muslims to use the Eid-ul-Fitr festival that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadhan as an occasion to pray for peace and prosperity.

Mvurya led a funds drive in aid of over 300 Imams and Madrassa teachers in Msambweni Sub County where he helped raid Ksh4.1 million. The CS said the country was being threatened by moral decay and noted that the family is a component of the society and whatever happens in it is reflected in the wider society.

He underscored the critical need for a renewed focus on the moral upbringing of the youth, noting that too many young people are being influenced by poor role models who do not embody the values needed to build a thriving and morally upright society.

Notorious machete-wielding gangs referred to as Panga Boys have been staging attacks on residents and business premises in Kwale and Mombasa counties.

“Our children are not living up to the good moral upbringing that is essential to their development and that is why we have the emergence of machete-wielding juvenile gangs in places like Kwale and Mombasa counties,” he said.

Mvurya also urged the media and religious leaders to help restore moral values and uprightness in the society.

“We want religious leaders to be at the forefront in efforts to curb immorality and indiscipline among the young people,” he said.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Hussein Abdullahi