Whether it is an outcome of lax parenting, internet influence or the common teenage rebellion, the rate at which minors in the country are committing crime is daunting.
“Levels of indiscipline among young people has gone out of control,” said the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya secretary general Kamau Kuria, who blamed it on the government’s ruling to remove corporal punishment from schools. “It might not be what most of you want to hear, but it is the truth, and we are discussing with Government,” he added.
On Wednesday, two boys aged 18 were reported to have been found guilty of sodomising a 16 year-old boy. This is while they were already serving their term at the Shikusa Borstal juvenile institution for previous crimes.
This came a few days after four boys were found guilty of burning up Magumu High School.
Even in the wake of femicide and killing for love,it is further disappointing that teenagers have also been reported to have taken part.
A 19-year-old was earlier this month accused of stabbing his girlfriend on the neck and killing her in Kapkwen trading center, Bomet County.
Later in Kitui, another 19-year-old was reported to have hacked his lover to death at Katithini village. The suspect reportedly attacked his lover inside their house at about 1.30am.
These could just be the tip of the iceberg, given that not all cases go reported.
Lest we forget the teenagers who had the audacity to insult Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and former Education CS Amina Mohamed through a public video amid high school crisis.
This, in addition to the ‘Disco matangas’, that CSMatiang’i had to enforce a law against.
Well, the media, the leaders, parents an non-parents as well have pointed fingers at the modern day parents, accusing them of leaving the parenting to the teachers.
However, are the modern day children even controllable? Also, where did the rain start beating us as a country?
How can we really raise an effective and efficient future generation in a world that has hit us with so much information and isolation?