Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged young people to show respect for authority and be open to guidance from older generations.
Speaking during the National Prayer Breakfast on Wednesday, May 28, Kindiki called for mutual respect between the youth and elders.
Additionally, he emphasized that some of life’s most important lessons are not taught in school, but come through real-life experiences.
"We respectfully request our children to respect authority and also agree to be mentored and supported, so that mutually, even as we respect them and apologize when we are wrong, they should equally respect older people, even if not for any other reason, simply because they are older.
"There are things that you will not learn in any college, but you will only learn them in the school of life," he said.
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This comes in the wake of remarks by American pastor Rickey Bolden calling for the need of Kenyan leaders to apologize to Gen-Zs for the arrests and internet shutdown during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, Bolden highlighted the psychological toll that the state’s response may have inflicted on the youth.
“Wouldn’t it be beautiful if leaders stand up and say to our Gen Zs, ‘We had you arrested and we know that had to be traumatising, we are sorry. We shut down the internet, and we know that that’s your primary source of communication, we are sorry'," he said.
Bolden went further to advocate for a change in how the youth are treated by those in power, calling for inclusion and recognition of their role in shaping the nation's future.
"Tell them, 'now we want to bring you to the table so that you can have a voice because you are no longer a child; you are an adult, and we want to begin treating you like an adult,” he added.
