Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Dr Eddyson Nyale has warned parents and guardians that they risk legal action for child neglect if their children are found loitering, abusing drugs or engaging in other inappropriate behaviours during the ongoing long school holiday.

Speaking at Comido School in Huruma Estate, Eldoret City, during a prayer day and pre-school graduation ceremony, Dr Nyale stressed that parents who fail to protect and take care of their children will not be spared by the government.

“I would like to encourage every parent and guardian to be keen on who their children interact with, know where they play, who their friends are, and where they send them, and to have a clear understanding of their environment,” he said.

“Some people might try to lure these children into bad behaviours such as early experimentation with drugs, alcohol and other substances that are harmful to their health. Parenting is a fundamental responsibility that cannot be abdicated to teachers alone or to the state,” he added.

The CC also urged young people who have attained 18 years to acquire identity cards, register as voters, and acquire passports, which are part of their basic constitutional rights.

The Director of Comido School, Bishop Boniface Simani, appealed to parents to remain very close to their children during the long holiday and ensure they are protected from substance abuse.

“We are handing over these children when they are safe and without injuries. We will be very happy as a school to see them again in January next year with no injuries and in the same good condition. Let them not be neglected at home,” Bishop Simani said.

The Bishop urged parents to ensure their children uphold good behaviour as a way of avoiding challenges that many young people face in foreign countries and during recruitment processes, where agencies have strict zero-tolerance drug policies that cause many to fail to qualify after testing positive for illicit substances during medical examinations.

On her part, Uasin Gishu Principal Immigration Officer Dorcas Okwayo, who attended the ceremony, emphasized the importance of schools offering international programs, while collaborating with parents in advance so that learners secure passports early.

“Securing a child’s passport early ensures they are always eligible for unexpected international exchange programs and school trips without any application delays and complications,” Okwayo advised.

By Ekuwam Sylvester